3.8 Ecological systems

Question 1

Biome

Answer 1

Large region of the world with similar plants, animals and other living organisms that are ADAPTED to the climate and other conditions. Consist of many similar ecosystems.

Question 2

Ecosystems

Answer 2

INTERACTIONS between living and non-living things in one location. The plants, animals and other organisms rely on each other and on the physical environment (soil, water, nutrients etc). At any given time, ecosystems may get out of balance and will adapt/change.

Question 3

What is the key to the type of ecosystem that occurs in a location?

Answer 3

Climate

Question 4

How much rain in a desert per year?

Answer 4

less than 100mm

Question 5

In summer daytime temps in deserts are often over

Answer 5

37 degrees

Question 6

Where are deserts generally located (latitude)

Answer 6

20-35 degrees north/south of equator

Question 7

what is the average temp of tropical rainforests?

Answer 7

average of 25 degrees

Question 8

Organism

Answer 8

any form of life

Question 9

How are organisms often classified?

Answer 9

Producers (plants), consumers (most animals) and decomposers (e.g. bacteria that feeds on dead animal and plant matter)

Question 10

Population?

Answer 10

A group of same species living together

Question 11

Species?

Answer 11

One type of organism able to reproduce its own kind

Question 12

Communities?

Answer 12

Several populations interacting with each other within a certain habitat.

Question 13

What is the connection between ecosystems and communities?

Answer 13

Ecosystems can be referred to as the combination of a community and its non-living environment

Question 14

What is photosynthesis?

Answer 14

Plants collect the sun’s energy, then combine with CO2 and water to create nutrients

Question 15

Edaphic factors

Answer 15

Factors associated with soil

Question 16

What does soil provide plants?

Answer 16

Moisture, nutrients, oxygen

Question 17

What is the positive feedback loop between soil and plants?

Answer 17

Soil with high levels of humus benefit plants by stimulating their growth. This stimulates further organic material deposits into soil

Question 18

T or F poor soils limit vegetation growth

Answer 18

T

Question 19

Poor soils create a positive feedback loop with plants t or f

Answer 19

F- create a negative feedback loop

Question 20

Biomass?

Answer 20

Mass of new living matter produced per square metre of land (or volume of water) per unit of time

Question 21

The greater the biomass, the more __ the ecosystem

Answer 21

Productive

Question 22

What is energy flow (in terms of organisms in an area per unit of time)?

Answer 22

Amount of energy in kilojoules ‘locked in’ to all organisms in the area per unit of time

Question 23

What is a biome with low productivity?

Answer 23

Deserts

Question 24

Low productivity biomes require smaller areas to be sustainable T or F

Answer 24

F- require larger

Question 25

What is a highly productive biome?

Answer 25

Tropical rainforest

Question 26

Relationship between biomass and biome?

Answer 26

Amount of biomass produced in ecosystem is its biological productivity

Question 27

Is the sun's energy flow through ecosystems a cycle or chain?

Answer 27

Chain- it is transferred from producers to consumers

Question 28

Define producers and their role?

Answer 28

Plants- use solar energy to produce more energy

Question 29

Define consumers and their role?

Answer 29

Animals use energy stored in plants, either by eating plant or animal that ate the plant

Question 30

As sun's energy flows through food chain, at each link some energy is __ in the form of __ into the atmosphere

Answer 30

Lost Heat

Question 31

Trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a ___ ____

Answer 31

Food web

Question 32

Each trophic level is smaller than the level below it because?

Answer 32

As energy is lost between each level, there is less energy available for each subsequent level

Question 33

Difference between primary and secondary consumers?

Answer 33

Primary are animal herbivores, secondary gain energy by eating primary consumers

Question 34

What is the other name for apex predators

Answer 34

Tertiary consumers

Question 35

Tertiary consumers use large amounts of energy to hunt for food T or F

Answer 35

T

Question 36

Nutrient cycle is

Answer 36

The biochemical process that enables effective functioning of ecosystems

Question 37

What type of energy drives the nutrient cycle

Answer 37

solar

Question 38

Energy from the sun is used by plants to turn __ __ and ___ into ___ and ___

Answer 38

Carbon dixiode and water glucose and oxygen

Question 39

What are 2 by-products in the nutrient cycle?

Answer 39

Animal dung and uneaten plant material

Question 40

What speeds up the process of by products decaying into humus?

Answer 40

Decomposers (fungi, dung beetles) etc.

Question 41

When plants die, what is released back into the system

Answer 41

carbon

Question 42

Oil, natural gas and coal are stored carbon produced by

Answer 42

decomposed plants and animals

Question 43

What is 1 way that humans affect the nutrient cycle

Answer 43

Land clearing- removing vegetation (reduces soil quality > desertification= loss of soil's ability to support life)

Question 44

What is a way that humans add in more nutrients than the cycle can recycle?

Answer 44

Chemical fertilisers applied during intensive agriculture (e.g. Gulf of Mexico > huge dead zones)

Question 45

Example of abiotic parts of ecosystem?

Answer 45

Air, soil, temperature, sunlight (non-living)

Question 46

What are 3 factors leading to variations between productivity (the greater the biomass, the more productive an ecosystem)

Answer 46

1. Climate 2. Latitude 3. Soil fertility

Question 47

What makes up over 80% of Earth's biomass?

Answer 47

Plants

Question 48

How is biomass related to carbon storage?

Answer 48

Biomass plays a key role in storing carbon absorbed from atmosphere through photosynthesis

Question 49

Which biome is a major carbon sink

Answer 49

Tropical rainforest

Question 50

What is released when a carbon sink, e.g. rainforest, is destroyed

Answer 50

carbon dioxide

Question 51

Define carbon sink

Answer 51

A carbon sink is any natural system that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases