Term
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Definition
| includes all the organisms that live in a particular place, plus the abiotic environment in which they live and interact |
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Term
| Define biogeochemical cycles |
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Definition
| chemicals moving through ecosystems; biotic and abiotic |
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Term
| Briefly describe the inputs and outputs of the carbon cycle. |
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Definition
Over time, globally, the carbon cycle may proceed faster in one direction
This can cause large consequences if continued for many years
Earth’s present preserves of coal, and other fossil fuels were built up over geological time
Human burning of fossil fuels is creating large imbalances in the carbon cycle
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is going up year by year |
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Term
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Definition
| metabolic reactions that make usable, nongaseous compounds from unusable, gaseous ones |
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Term
| What is methane production? |
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Definition
Microbes that break down organic compounds by anaerobic cellular respiration provide an additional dimension to the carbon cycle
Methanogens = archaea which produce methane (CH4)
Wetland ecosystems are a source of CH4
CH4 is oxidized to CO2, but can remain as CH4 for a long time |
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Term
| How are humans impacting the carbon cycle? |
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Definition
| Human burning of fossil fuels is creating large imbalances in the carbon cycle |
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Term
| Briefly describe the inputs and outputs of the water cycle. |
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Definition
Liquid water from the Earth’s surface evaporates into the atmosphere
Occurs directly from the surfaces of oceans, lakes, and rivers
Terrestrial ecosystems: 90% of evaporation is through plants
Water in the atmosphere is a gas
Cools and falls to the surface as precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| permeable, underground layers of rock, sand, and gravel saturated with water |
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Term
| How are humans impacting the water cycle? |
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Definition
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Term
| Briefly describe the inputs and outputs of the nitrogen cycle |
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Definition
Nitrification: N2 --> NH3 --> NO3-
Denitrification: NO3- --> N2
Both processes are carried out by microbes free or living on plant roots
Nitrogenous wastes and fertilizer use radically alter the global nitrogen cycle
Humans have doubled the rate of transfer of N2 in usable forms into soils and water |
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Term
| What is nitrogen fixation? |
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Definition
| synthesis of nitrogen containing compounds from N2 |
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Term
| How are humans impacting the nitrogen cycle? |
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Definition
| Humans have doubled the rate of transfer of N2 in usable forms into soils and water |
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Term
| Briefly describe the inputs and outputs of the phosphorus cycle. |
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Definition
Phosphorus is required by all organisms
Occurs in nucleic acids, membranes, ATP
No significant gas form
Exists as PO43- in ecosystems
Plants and algae use free inorganic phosphorus, animals eat plants to obtain their phosphorus |
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Term
| Define limiting nutrient. |
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Definition
| weak link in an ecosystem; shortest supply relative to the needs of organisms |
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Term
| What are the limiting nutrients for plants? |
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Definition
| Nitrogen and phosphorus can also be limiting nutrients for both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| list 4 or more forms of energy |
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Definition
Light
Chemical-bond energy
Motion
Heat |
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Term
| What is the First Law of Thermodynamics? |
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Definition
| energy is neither created nor destroyed, it changes forms |
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Term
| What is the Second Law of Thermodynamics? |
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Definition
| when organisms use chemical-bond or light energy some is converted to heat; the universe is moving from more ordered & less stable to less ordered & more stable; disorder (= entropy) is increasing |
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Term
| What is the fundamental source of energy on Earth? |
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Definition
| Sun our major source of energy |
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Term
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Definition
| natural heating of the Earth by greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons) |
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Term
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Definition
| Anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gases |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| energy from inorganic oxidation reactions |
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Term
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Definition
| cannot synthesize organic compounds from inorganic precursors |
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Term
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Definition
| which level an organism “feeds” at |
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Term
| Place the following trophic levels in order from lowest to highest: |
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Definition
Primary producers = autotrophs
Herbivores are first consumer level
Primary carnivores eat herbivores
Secondary carnivores eat primary carnivores or herbivores
Detritivores eat decaying matter |
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Term
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Definition
| the rate at which the organisms in the trophic level collectively synthesize new organic matter |
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Term
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Definition
| productivity of the primary producers |
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Term
| Define secondary productivity |
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Definition
| productivity of a heterotroph trophic level |
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Term
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Definition
| rate at which primary producers break down organic compounds |
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Term
| gross primary productivity? |
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Definition
| raw rate at which primary producers synthesize new organic matter |
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Term
| net primary productivity? |
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Definition
| is the GPP less the respiration of the primary producers |
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Term
| Define standing crop biomass |
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Definition
| chief static property of a population or trophic level; the amount of organic matter present at a particular time |
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Term
| Define standing crop biomass |
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Definition
| chief static property of a population or trophic level; the amount of organic matter present at a particular time |
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Term
| Define standing crop biomass |
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Definition
| chief static property of a population or trophic level; the amount of organic matter present at a particular time |
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Term
| Define standing crop biomass |
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Definition
| chief static property of a population or trophic level; the amount of organic matter present at a particular time |
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Term
| Define standing crop biomass |
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Definition
| chief static property of a population or trophic level; the amount of organic matter present at a particular time |
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Term
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Definition
| process by which effects exerted at an upper level flow down to influence two or more lower levels |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| when effect flows up through a trophic chain |
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Term
| List 3 ecosystem characteristics which influence species richness. |
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Definition
Primary productivity
Habitat heterogeneity
Accommodate more species
Climatic factors
More species might be expected to coexist in seasonal environment |
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Term
| List 4 or more reasons why tropical ecosystems, like coral reefs and rainforests, have the highest diversity of ecosystems |
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Definition
Species diversity cline = biogeographic gradient in number of species correlated with latitude
Reported for plants and animals |
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Term
| Define species-area relationship |
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Definition
| was a result of the effect of geographic area and isolation |
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Term
| What is the MacArthur and Wilson equilibrium model? |
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Definition
| island species richness is a dynamic equilibrium between colonization and extinction |
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