Chapter 55

Question 1

________________ focuses on the biological community plus the abiotic components in a particular area

Answer 1

ecosystem ecology

Question 2

ecosystem ecology focuses on three things

Answer 2

• primary production
• energy flow
• nutrient cycling

Question 3

________________ refers to the chemical energy of food molecules generated by autotrophs, derived from fixation of CO2 during photosynthesis

Answer 3

primary production

Question 4

primary production is the food source for _______________

Answer 4

all organisms

Question 5

___________________ is the total amount of carbon fixation by autotrophs in an ecosystem

Answer 5

gross primary production GPP

Question 6

______________ use approximately half of carbon fixed photosynthesis for cellular respiration, mainintainting their tissues, and organs

Answer 6

autotrophs

Question 7

the remaining chemical energy not used by autotrophs is ___________________

Answer 7

net primary production

Question 8

net primary production represents _______________ by an autrotroph

Answer 8

biomass gained

Question 9

__________________ is left over for the consumption by herbivores and decomposers

Answer 9

net primary production

Question 10

net primary production NPP is the ______________________________ of an ecosystem

Answer 10

dominant measure of productivity

Question 11

NPP is controlled by ________________ in terrestrial ecosystems

Answer 11

climate

Question 12

___________ affects photosynthetic enzymes. at ____________ NPP increases. at _______________ npp may decrease if the photosynthetic enzymes are denatures

Answer 12

temperature
high
very high

Question 13

water affect photosynthesis vi athe opening and closing of _____________________

Answer 13

stomata

Question 14

as precipitation increases, npp _____________. with very high precipitation npp ________________ because of cloud cover and less sunlight

Answer 14

increase

decrease

Question 15

net primary production (NPP) is controlled by _______________________ in aquatic ecosystems

Answer 15

nutrient availibility

Question 16

_____________ limits NPP in lakes and ponds

Answer 16

phosphorus

Question 17

net primary production NPP is usually low in ___________________. because the majority of energy is derived from terrestrial organic matter

Answer 17

river and streams

Question 18

net primary production varries greatly in ______________________.

Answer 18

marine ecosystems

Question 19

marine ecosystems :

________________________ are very productive NPP

Answer 19

kelp forests and coral reefs

Question 20

________________ limit NPP in the open ocean

Answer 20

nitrogen and iron

Question 21

______________ of global NPP is attributed to terrestrial ecosystems. _______________ of global npp is attributed to marine ecosystems

Answer 21

54

46

Question 22

the average rate of NPP is much greater on Land however ______________________________________

Answer 22

the two are nearly equal due to the large area that oceans cover

Question 23

the highest rates of NPP on land are found in the ________________________ because they have _________________ temperatures

Answer 23

tropics

high

Question 24

________________ accounts for high amounts of oceanic NPP in relation to their limited area

Answer 24

coastal zone

Question 25

the ______________ accounts for the majority of NPP due to its massive volume

Answer 25

open oceans

Question 26

trophic interactions are _________________ that link organisms in an ecosystem on what they eat and what eats them

Answer 26

feeding relationships

Question 27

each _________ is based on the number of steps by which it is seperated from the autotrophs in an ecosystem

Answer 27

trophic level

Question 28

______________ are diagrammatic representations of trophic interactions

Answer 28

food chains

Question 29

dead organic matter ______________ and wastes _______________ are consumed by ______________ during the process of decomposition

Answer 29

detritus feces detrivores (decomposers)

Question 30

energy flow through an ecosystem

Answer 30

solar energy -> chemical energy within organisms -> heat energy

Question 31

___________________ is a measure of how much chemical energy in one trophic level makes it to the next trophic level

Answer 31

trophic efficiency

Question 32

trophic efficiency consists of

Answer 32

- consumption efficiency - assimilation efficiency - production efficiency

Question 33

______________ measure how much energy one trophic level is consumed by the next trophic level

Answer 33

consumption efficiency

Question 34

comsuption efficiency ranges from _______________ | the rest of the energy is not eaten

Answer 34

5-50%

Question 35

all _________________________ may not be consumed by herbivores due to the autotrophs chemical and physical defenses -nutrient poor components like wood compared to nutrient rich like like leaves

Answer 35

autotrophic energy (NPP first trophic level)

Question 36

_______________________ measure how much energy is incorporated into the next trophic level (by ingestion and absoprtion) to be used for maintenance and defense

Answer 36

assimilation efficiency

Question 37

assimilation efficiency ranges from

Answer 37

20-80%

Question 38

the energy that is not assimilated is lost as ___________

Answer 38

waste-feces

Question 39

assimilation efficiency is _____________ in carnivores than in herbivores. Plant matter contains indigestible material such as cellulose and lignin. whereas animals have the same carbon to nitrogen ratio as carnivores consuming them so they can be assimilated more

Answer 39

greater

Question 40

________________ measures how much energy from one trophic level goes into the production of new biomass at the next trophic level

Answer 40

production efficiency

Question 41

production efficiency ranges from ________________________. The rest is lost as _________________ during cellular respiration

Answer 41

1-50% | heat

Question 42

production efficiency is _____________ in ectotherms than in endotherms because endothernms produce more heat during metabolism

Answer 42

greater

Question 43

trophic efficiency =

Answer 43

consumption efficiency * assimilation efficiency * production efficiency

Question 44

trophic efficiency ranges from ________________ averge efficiency

Answer 44

1-20% | 10%

Question 45

the amount of energy available to the organisms at each level in a food chain can be represented as an ______________

Answer 45

energy pyramid

Question 46

there are rarely more than _______________ because ________ of energy is lost at each trophic level and there is not enough trophic energy to support additional levels

Answer 46

4-5 trophic levels | 90%

Question 47

____________________ diagram the trophic interactions within an ecosystem. They are more realistc than food chains because they are more complex

Answer 47

food webs

Question 48

_______________________ have a greater influence on energy flow and ecosystem composition than their abundance or biomass might suggest. They tend to be ________________

Answer 48

keystone species | carnivores

Question 49

_______________ have a large effect on energy flow and ecosystem composition due to their abundance or biomass. Tend to be __________________

Answer 49

dominant species | autotrophs

Question 50

nutrients are ________________________

Answer 50

recycled within an ecosystem

Question 51

_____________ is the study of this cycling of nutrients

Answer 51

biogeochemistry

Question 52

_________________ involves biological, geological, and chemical components

Answer 52

biogeochemistry

Question 53

nutrients in pools:

Answer 53

flush back and forth to accomplish this cycling

Question 54

the _________________ are the two largest pools of water

Answer 54

oceans and water vapor

Question 55

water fluxes between pools by way of _________________

Answer 55

evaporation and condensation

Question 56

_______________ are the two largest pools of carbon

Answer 56

- atmosphere CO2 | - organic carbon in organisms

Question 57

carbon fluxes between these two pools by

Answer 57

-photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Question 58

_________________________ are the two largest pools of nitrogen

Answer 58

- atmosphere | - nitrogen in organisms

Question 59

nitrogen fluxes between these two pools by _______________

Answer 59

nitrogen fixation

Question 60

_________________ are the two largest pools of phorphorus

Answer 60

- rock/soil | - phosphorus stored in organsism

Question 61

phosphorus ifluxes between these pools by

Answer 61

decomposition | erosion/ uplifting