2.2 Bio ecosystems and ecology Flashcards
(32 cards)
what is a community?
a community is a group of populations, living and interacting with each other in a common habitat.
what is an ecosystem?
an ecosystem is the community and physical environment which it interacts with.
how can one describe respiration and photosynthesis?
a proses with inputs, outputs and a transformation of energy and matter.
what is respiration?
respiration is the conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide in all organism in order to realise energy.
what is the word equation for arobicrespiration?
glucose+oxygen—->carbondioxide+water
what is released I large amounts during respiration?
heat.
during respiration, large amounts of heat are released, this causes an increase in…. with in the ecosystem.
entropy.
when there is an increase of entropy, what effect does it have within an ecosystem?
it allows the organism to have a relatively low entropy which allows for high organisation.
what is the role of primary producers (in most ecosystems) ?
they convert light energy into chemical energy though photosynthesis.
what is the word equation for photosynthesis?
carbondioxide+water—->oxygen+glucose
during photosynthesis, the raw materials produced (oxegen+glucose) create something else, what is it?
biomass.
what is a tropic level?
the position an organism occupies within a food chain, or the position a group of organism in a community that occupy the same position in the food web.
what is another word for producers?
autotrophs
what is a producer?
a producer or autotroph are usually green plant or alge that provide their own food through photosynthesis. They are usually the first tropic level in a food chain.
what is an example of where a producer does not get its energy from photosynthesis?
Chemosynthetic organisms.
there are three main factors making up feeding relationships, what are they?
producer, consumer and decomposer.
what are the different ways one can model the three factor making up feeding relationships?
food webs, food chains and ecological pyramids.
what is displayed on an ecological pyramid?
number of organism, biomass, and productivity.
what type of data is displayed on a ecological pyramid?
quantative data measured for a specific area or time.
what happens due to the second law of thermodynamics, as one moves along a food chain?
the quantity and numbers of biomass and energy decrease.
what will the effect of a decreased of quantity and number of biomass and energy be on a pyramind diagram?
the pyramid will become narrower towards the apex.
what is bioaccumulation?
bioaccumulation is the build up of persistent or non biodegradable pollutants which in an organism or tropic level because the pollutants can not be broken down.
what is biomagnification?
biomagnification is the increase in concentration of persistent or non-degradable pollutants along a food chain.
what are some examples of toxics that can build up along a food chain when their is a decrease in biomass or energy?
DDT or mercury are commonly accumulated along food chains and organisms when there is a decrease in energy or biomass.
