Biology: Page 2

Flashcards based on lecture notes on ecosystems, cycles, and populations.

What is the primary energy source for herbivores?

Plants

What do carnivores eat?

Other animals

What is the primary energy source for herbivores?

Plants

What do carnivores eat?

Other animals

What do omnivores eat?

Both animals and plants

What do scavengers consume?

Animals that are already dead

What role do decomposers play?

They consume dead organic matter and recycle nutrients.

What characterizes apex predators?

They are at the top of the food chain with no other competitors.

What do the arrows in food chains and food webs represent?

The transfer of energy from one organism to another.

What are trophic levels?

Steps in the food chain that illustrate the change from producers to tertiary consumers.

How much energy is typically transferred between trophic levels?

Around 10%

What is primary succession?

The colonization of land where there was previously no living things.

What is secondary succession?

Follows a disturbance that removes the previous community, but with new populations.

What is evaporation?

Bodies of water are heated by the Sun's energy, causing water to evaporate.

What is transpiration?

Evaporation of water from the leaves of plants.

What is condensation?

Water vapor condenses, forming clouds in the air.

What is precipitation?

Water falling back to the ground as a liquid.

Define ocean accumulation.

Water runoff to the ocean.

Define infiltration.

Water soaking into the ground.

What occurs during photosynthesis?

Plants take carbon dioxide and convert it to sugars using light and water.

What occurs during respiration?

Animals/Plants use aerobic cellular respiration to release energy for biological processes.

What occurs during decomposition?

Fungi and bacteria decompose dead organisms and organic matter, releasing organic compounds and CO2.

Is there a beginning or end to the water and carbon cycles?

No, both are cycles that continue forever.

Can matter be created or destroyed?

No, matter cannot be created nor destroyed; it can only take on different forms.

Define population density.

A broad measure of how densely packed individuals of a population are.