Ecosystems

Question 1

What are the 2 major themes in ecosystems?

Answer 1

Energy Flow and Material Cycling

Question 2

How do autotrophs get their engery?

Answer 2

capture sunlight energy & convert it to chemical bond energy

Question 3

Most photosynthetic plants and “algae” are consider what functional group?

Answer 3

autotrophs

Question 4

Autotrophs capture sun’s energy, which runs whole __________

Answer 4

ecosystem

Question 5

The autotrophs secure _________ for whole ecosystem

Answer 5

nutrients

Question 6

What is the trophic level for autotrophs?

Answer 6

primary producers

Question 7

What are the functional groups in a ecosystem?

Answer 7

Autotrophs and Heterotrops

Question 8

What are heterotrophs?

Answer 8

obtain food from pre-existing organic compounds

Question 9

What are the sub-groups of heterotrophs

Answer 9

consumers
decomposers:
detritivores:

Question 10

What are the different types consumers?

Answer 10

herbivores, carnivores, scavengers, parasites

Question 11

What are decomposers and some examples?

Answer 11

bacteria, fungi (break down dead organisms)

Question 12

What are detritivores and some examples?

Answer 12

invertebrates that feed on partially decomposed organic matter (e.g., earthworm, crab)

Question 13

Ecosystems are _________________

Answer 13

open systems

Question 14

What is a open system?

Answer 14

open systems require constant input of energy

Question 15

sunlight energy converted to ________________, but some is lost as ________________________

Answer 15

chemical bond energy; metabolic heat (through respiration)

Question 16

energy flows through ecosystems in one direction, ___________________

Answer 16

through food chains

Question 17

food chain shows ____________

Answer 17

“who eats whom”

Question 18

Food chains represents _________

Answer 18

represents energy flow: when an owl eats a lemming, energy is transferred to the owl

Question 19

What are the trophic levels?

Answer 19

primary producers
primary consumers
secondary consumers
tertiary consumers

Question 20

What are primary producers?

Answer 20

autotrophs

Question 21

What are primary consumers?

Answer 21

herbivores

Question 22

What are secondary consumers?

Answer 22

Carnivores

Question 23

What are tertiary consumers?

Answer 23

Carnivores

Question 24

Food chains are ________________________

Answer 24

isolated, simple subunits of complex ecosystems

Question 25

Food webs are a somewhat _________________________ (although still simplistic)

Answer 25

more realistic representation

Question 26

there is a ___________ flow of energy in ecosystems

Answer 26

one-way

Question 27

What are the 2 different food webs?

Answer 27

Grazing and Detrital food webs

Question 28

What are grazing food webs?

Answer 28

herbivores consume plants, and in turn are eaten by carnivores

Question 29

What are detrital food webs?

Answer 29

decomposers & detritivores consume most of the system’s energy (not herbivores; most important (e.g. forests)

Question 30

Consumers use _______ they ingest for their own __________

Answer 30

most energy; maintenance

Question 31

What is the general rule in ecosystems?

Answer 31

Only about 10% of the energy contained in one trophic level is transferred to the next highest level

Question 32

Most of the energy in an ecosystem is lost as _______________, and is _______________

Answer 32

metabolic heat (via respiration); unavailable to organisms

Question 33

Small percentage of energy passed to each successive trophic level results in ____________-

Answer 33

ecological pyramids

Question 34

_______________ in the base of the pyramid (the producers)

Answer 34

Most energy is contained

Question 35

Less and less energy at successively __________

Answer 35

higher levels

Question 36

Productivity of ecosystems affected by __________ and ______________

Answer 36

energy input; availability of nutrients

Question 37

Plants require ___, _____, and _____, but also ≈___ other minerals (e.g. N, P)

Answer 37

C, H, and O; 13

Question 38

most nutrients available to plants in ________; e.g. NH4+ (____________) or H2PO4– (____________)

Answer 38

ionized forms; ammonium and phosphorus

Question 39

These essential elements move in ______________________

Answer 39

biogeochemical cycles

Question 40

How does the biogeochemical cycle go?

Answer 40

Environment—>organisms—>environment

Question 41

elements move slowly thru ____________ compared to between __________

Answer 41

physical environment; organisms

Question 42

What are the two input sources for ecosystems?

Answer 42

environmental inputs
recycling of decomposers/detritivores

Question 43

What is the hydrologic cycle?

Answer 43

source of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O)

Question 44

What drives the Hydrologic Cycle?

Answer 44

driven by evaporation (from solar energy) and precipitation

Question 45

Carbon & other elements cycle through

Answer 45

atmospheric cycles and sedimentary cycles

Question 46

What is the atmospheric cycles in the Carbon & other elements cycle?

Answer 46

A gaseous phase

Question 47

What is the sedimentary cycles in the Carbon & other elements cycle?

Answer 47

contained in rocks; cycle between land and sea floor over immense time spans

Question 48

Carbon moves from ____________ (CO2) & ocean into _________, and back into ____________

Answer 48

reservoirs in atmosphere; organisms; reservoirs

Question 49

After industrial revolution, new carbon input from burning of _________ and ___________

Answer 49

fossil fuels; deforestation

Question 50

has ___________ atmospheric concentration of CO2 from ≈280 ppm to ≈392 ppm (2014) to ≈424 ppm (2024), and ______________________

Answer 50

increased; contributes to global warming