Unit 1 (Mod 2 and 7) (3 and 6)(4 and 5)

Unit 1; 2, and 7

Community Ecology: The study between the interaction among species

Defining an Ecosystem Boundary: A space

Combining all Ecosystem Boundary forms the biosphere… which is the global sum of all ecosystems, including terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric systems that support life.

Competition:

  • Competitive Exclusion Principle: Two species fighting for the same limiting resource cannot coexist.

  • Resource Partitioning: Two species divide limiting resources by behavior or morphology

  • Temporal Resource Partitioning: Divide by times of day/location in area

Predation…

  • Parasitoids: Predator that lay eggs in other organism

Parasites could lead to the passing of pathogens and helminths (wormlike organisms)

Exotic Species: Living outside it’s historical range

Invasive Species: exotic Species causing ecological disruption and harming native species.

MOD 2

Biome: Plants and animals found in particular region of the world; a large geographic area that are homes for #of species

Habitat: Is an area where a particular species lives in nature (is a subset of Biomes)

Aquatic Biomes: Categorized by salinity, depth and water flow

Terrestrial Biomes: Regions of land categorized by combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinct plant growth forms


Divide major terrestrial into 3 biomes: Tundra and Taiga biome, temperate biome, and tropical biomes

Tundra: Cold and treeless; low vegetation. In the winter the soil permafrost: permanently frozen layer if soil that prevent water from draining and roots from penetrating

  • Very Slow decomposion rates


Coniferous trees:

  • Produces pine needles that are resistant to decomposition

Taiga: Is also referred to as a boreal forest biome, primarily of coniferous (cone bearing) evergreen trees that can tolerate cold Winters and short, cold growing seasons in the summer.

  • Very Slow decomposion rates

The temperate rainforest: A coastal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation.

  • Currents along these Coast help to moderate temperature fluctuation

  • Slow decomposion rates

The temperate seasonal Forest: is also referred to temperate deciduous forest…a biome with warm Summers and cold Winters with over 1 M rain of annual precipitation

  • They are dominated by Broadleaf deciduous trees such as bleach, Maple, Oak, and Hickory

  • Broadleaf trees shed are more readily decomposed than needles of coniferous trees: the soils of temperature seasonal trees generally contain more nutrients than those of Taiga

Shrubland: this is also referred to as Woodland. This biome is characterized by hot, dry Summers and Mild rainy Winters. There is a 12-month growing season, but plants growth is constrained by high temperatures and low precipitation in the summer and by cool temperatures and high precipitation in the winters

The temperate grassland biome: this is also referred to as a cold desert. It is characterized by the cold, harsh winters and hot, dry summers. Plant growth is constrained by insufficient precipitation in the summer and cold temperatures in the winter.

The tropical rainforest biome, is a warm and wet biome.

  • The oceans provide a constant source of atmospheric water vapor. Precipitation occurs frequently, although there are seasonal patterns precipitation, because of the warm temperatures and abundant rainfall, productivity is high, and decomposion is extremely rapid.

The Savannah Biome: this is also known as the tropical seasonal Forest, is marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons. Most precipitation only occurs during summer.

The hot desert biome, also known as a subtropical desert, it's characterized by hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and spares vegetation.

Primary productivity

Overview:

Solar energy process

Primary productivity: The rate of energy is converted into org compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time

AKA: rate of photosynthesis of producers in an area over a given period of time

Respiration Loss: Plants use up some of the energy they generate via photosynthesis by doing cell respiration

Core Difference

  • Photosynthesis: Plants capture energy from sunlight to make glucose (a stored form of energy).

  • Cellular Respiration: Plants (and animals) release energy by breaking down glucose to make ATP, which powers cellular work.

Trends:

High PP= High Plant growth=biodiversity

Gross Primary Productivity GPP; TOTAL of sun energy

Net primary productivity: The amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers

GPP-R=NPP

Rate of producing

Ecological Efficiency

Generally, only 1% of all incoming sunlight captured and converted into GPP via photosynthesis

of that 1% only 40% is converted to biomass (NPP)

Trends:

more productivity= Higher biodiversity

4 and 5

4

The carbon and nitrogen Cycles

Basic composition of species: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water

  • Others include in smaller amounts are the following: calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur.

    • Matter cycles

—big 4, small 4—

The recycling through biology, geology, chemistry is called biogeochemical cycles

Carbon cycle

Carbon takes up 20% of their total body weight

Carbon cycle: the movement of carbon around a biosphere

Photosynthesis and Respiration

Is a solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose

  • The usage of carbon within a plant is called aerobic respiration

    • Cells convert glucose + oxygen = energy, carbon dioxide, and water

Additional carbon is returning when an organism dies

Steady State → A system where inputs equal outputs, so the overall condition of the system remains stable over time.

(this concept is the same thing as dynamic equilibrium; used in only biological settings however… you do not need to add anything in brackets into the flashcards)

Three ways in which carbon dioxide is released: combustion (abotic), respiration (botic, and decompositon (biotic)

The effects of combustion

Greenhouse gases: some of the gases in the earth's atmospheres

  • These gases trap the heat Within

Human effects: Industrial Revolution, the destruction of trees

The overproduction of carbon dioxide due to human activity is called Global warming

The nitrogen cycle

Five major transformations in the nitrogen cycle: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, mineralization, then denitrification

1. Nitrogen Fixation → Conversion of N₂ gas (atmosphere) into biologically usable forms (NH₃ or NH₄⁺).

  • Done by: Bacteria in soil (e.g., Rhizobium in legumes) or lightning.

  • Example: N₂ → NH₃ (ammonia).

2. Nitrification → Conversion of ammonium (NH₄⁺) into nitrites (NO₂⁻) and then nitrates (NO₃⁻).

  • Done by: Specialized nitrifying bacteria.

  • Two steps:

    • NH₄⁺ → NO₂⁻ (Nitrosomonas)

    • NO₂⁻ → NO₃⁻ (Nitrobacter)

  • Nitrate (NO₃⁻) is most usable by plants.

3. Assimilation → Process where plants absorb nitrates (NO₃⁻) or ammonium (NH₄⁺) from soil into their tissues.

  • Consumers then eat plants and gain nitrogen.

  • Example: A tree takes up NO₃⁻ to build proteins/DNA.

4. Mineralization (a.k.a. Ammonification) → Decomposers break down organic nitrogen from dead organisms or waste into ammonium (NH₄⁺).

  • Example: Fungi/bacteria converting dead leaves into NH₄⁺ in soil.

5. Denitrification → Conversion of nitrate (NO₃⁻) back into nitrogen gas (N₂), returning it to the atmosphere.

  • Done by: Denitrifying bacteria in anaerobic (low-oxygen) conditions.

  • Example: Wetlands or waterlogged soils releasing N₂ gas.

🔑 Summary flow:
N₂ (atmosphere) → Fixation → NH₃/NH₄⁺ → Nitrification → NO₂⁻ → NO₃⁻ → Assimilation into plants → Death/waste → Mineralization → NH₄⁺ → Denitrification → N₂ (back to atmosphere).

Human impacts on nitrogen cycle

leaching: nitrate is transported through the soils with water

aerobic: an environment with an abundant oxygen

And fertilized soil that added the nitrogen can alter the discretion or abundancy of species in those ecosystems

5

The phosphorus and hydrogen (water) cycles

Phosphorus is a major component of DNA and RNA as well as ATP

Five processes that drive the phosphorus cycle: assimilation, mineralization, sedimization, geologic uplift, and weathering

Human impacts and phosphorus cycle: human mind the first settlements that are founded in geologically up with lifted mountains to produce fertilizer. The usage of fertilizer leads to the excess phosphorus in water bodies

  • Algae bloom: greatly increased growth of algae

  • Consumption of oxygen is used when algae dies: a water with low oxygen: hypoxic

  • But not enough oxygen in aquatic area, is referred to as dead zone

Hydrologic Cycles

Water is essential for drawing nutrients into trees, dissolves and remove toxic materials, performs many other critical biological functions

Transpiration: when Plants release water from the leaves into the atmosphere

The combination of evaporation and transpiration is called evapotranspiration

Runoff: water that moves across the land surface into streams and Waters, eventually reaching the ocean