Define Detritus

 Name two groups of organisms fill the ecological niche as detritovores

& explain their significance. 

Fungi and Bacteria both fill the role of detritovores or decomposers. They breakdown the organic molecules and release the nutrients into the soil or water for more primary production.

What is provide an alternate name for detritovores?

Decomposers.

 Which two macronutrients are most often limiting for primary production in local aquatic biomes?

(see experiment off coast of Long Island, NY, for an example)

Nitrogen and phosphorous.

Distinguish between gross primary production and net primary production?   

Gross primary production is all the new biomass produced in a given ecosystem in a year (or other time frame).

Net primary production is the biomass that is available to organisms in the next level of the food chain; it is the gross primary production minus all the energy used (biomass consumed) by the primary producers for respiration.

Which terrestrial ecosystem has the greatest primary production rate?

Tropical forests

Why do the open oceans account for more than 25% of the Earth’s primary production?

Even though their primary productivity is low, (lower than marshes, lakes and streams) their abundance on the earth (over 65% of the Earth’s surface) makes this ecosystem, the overall most productive.

(Two factors are involved in measurements worldwide productivity: percent of earth surface and net primary productive in an area per year). 

 What is a major factor in determining how fast an ecosystem will turn over its pool or reservoir of nutrients?  

Rate of decomposition (which is directly linked to global region or location).

Energy transfer between trophic levels is typically

between 5 % and 20%

Which geochemical cycle involves soil bacteria to make a nutrient available for plants to absorb?

Nitrogen cycle.

 In which geochemical cycle is the nutrient stored abiotically, in rocks?  

Phosphorous cycle: a main reservoir of phosphorous is in rocks (and soils).

 What human endeavor rapidly moves carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and bypasses any biotic components of an ecosystem?  

Burning of fossils fuels (remnants of organisms who roamed the planet millennia ago) releases significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

 Name one activity can humans do to improve uptake of carbon dioxide into biotic components of an ecosystem

Plant trees.

which model of population growth shows a plateau or limit (an S shape curve)

 Which pattern above is reflected by human population growth on the whole planet?

EXPONENTIAL

 Define carrying capacity:

THE MAXIMUM POPULATION THAT CAN BE SUPPORTED IN A PARTICULAR ENVIROMENT WITHOUT DAMAGING THE ENVIROMENT.

 Name the two rates that must be equal for zero population growth to occur in one region.

BIRTH RATE AND DEATH RATE

 The most common pattern of dispersal is

CLUMPED

The trophic level at the bottom of every food web is  

PRIMARY PRODUCERS

The trophic level that links all other levels and breaks down dead organisms are the

DECOMPOSERS

In which type of symbiotic relationship do both organisms benefit from living in close association?

MUTUALISM

 An organism that kills other animals in order to eat is a  

The killed animal is called the

 Define niche:

IS THE ROLE AN ORGANISM PLAYS IN A COMMUNITY

OR “ SUM TOTAL OF A SPECIES USE OF BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC RESOURCES IN ITS ENVIRONMENT”

Define habitat:  

THE SPECIFIC AREA THAT A SPECIE OCCUPIES WITHIN AN LOCAL ECOSYSTEM; AN ORGANISMS NATURAL ENVIROMENT

 During _____ succession, life begins in an area that is bare rock, such as after a volcanic explosion

During _____ succession, life begins again in an area that has intact soil present.

List 4 abiotic factors that are part of an ecosystem and that exert influence the organisms and their ability to live in their habitats.

Rainfall, temperature, soil, light availability

______ Ecology involves the study of individuals of the same specie living in the same location or habitat.

Population

 Primary consumers only eat   

primary producers

The linking level for all food webs are

decomposers

Two examples of organisms that fill this role are

bacteria & fungi

________ are aquatic biomes with a higher than 3% salinity.

Marine biomes

_______ are aquatic biomes characterized by brackish water, the change from fresh to marine waters, and they serve as nurseries for marine organisms.

Estuaries

 Name a local example of this type of biome (Estuary) :  

Chesapeake Bay

 In a lake, the ______ zone is where light can penetrate.

_________ is a chart that relates annual precipitation with annual temperature for terrestrial biomes.

A climograph

A terrestrial habitat that has low average annual temperature and low average annual rainfall is

tundra. Arctic or alpine tundra (how are these two different?)

A global region characterized by low sunlight and low temperatures is the  

polar region.

Plants that have flowers are: 

ANGIOSPERMS

Name 4 parts of a flower:  

PETALS SEPALS STAMENS AND CARPELS

Which 2 parts listed above are essential for reproduction?

STAMENS & CARPELS

The male structure is called the_____. It is made of two structures, a thin stalk called ______ and a top structure called the ________

STAMEN/FILAMENT/ANTHER

What forms inside the anther?

POLLEN

How does it move to the female flower (POLLEN) ?

BY WIND, OR BEES, INSECTS, ETC.

 The female flower part is the

CARPELS 

It consist of 3 parts:  

STIGMA, STYLE & OVARY

In which one of these parts will an egg nucleus form?

OVARY

In which one of these parts does fertilization occur?  

OVARY --INSIDE IS OVULE

.List two structures that form during double fertilization

ZYGOTE & ENDOSPERM

.What is the function of endosperm?

PROVIDES NUTRIENTS FOR GRWOING EMBRYONIC PLANT

What is the chromosome number of the endosperm?

3n = TRIPLOID

What is the function of a seed?

DORMANT STAGE OF PLANT ; CAN REST FOR LONG TIME AND THEN RE-GROW

What does the seed develop from?

OVULE

What is the function of fruit?

AIDS IN SPREADING THE SEEDS

what does the fruit develop from?

OVARY

List 3 main tissue types found in plants  

dermal ground vascular

________ are rapidly growing and dividing tissues; they are capable of indeterminant growth because they are embryonic tissue.

Meristems

 _______ allow plants to grow taller or longer due to cell division at the apical meristem

Primary growth

 allows plants to grow wider or thicker due to cell division at the lateral meristem.

Secondary growth

Which of the two growth patterns is found only in woody plants?   

Secondary growth

When viewing a stem cross section, in which type of plant will vascular bundles be arranged in a ring pattern?  

DICOTS

Identify 4 distinct types of root modifications and name a plant with that specialized type of root  

a. storage root sweet potato

b. prop root corn (maize)

c. buttress roots ceiba tree

d. strangling roots strangler fig tree

e. pneumatophores = air roots mangrove trees

 List 3 main types of transport in plants   

absorption, transpiration, translocation

Which type of transport moves water from roots, to stems to leaves?  

transpiration

Where does the energy to power this type of transport come from?  

From the sun

_____ are pores or openings in the leaf’s surface (epidermis) that allow water to evaporate out of the plant.

Stomates

 Name two types of vascular tissues; tell what is transported through each.

a. xylem - transports water

b. phloem transports sugar sap (nutrients)

______ is a type of transport that causes sugar sap to move from source to sink.

translocation

 A symbiotic relationship between root hairs and fungi is called  

mycorhizzae