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Biology > Chapter 55 Ecosystems and Restoration and Ecology > Flashcards

Chapter 55 Ecosystems and Restoration and Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Consists of all the organisms living in a community, as well as the abiotic factors with with they interact

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2
Q

What is the range of an ecosystem?

A

It range from a microcosm to a very large area such as an island

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3
Q

What are the two main processes of an ecosystem?

A
  • energy flow
  • chemical cycling
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4
Q

What does energy flow do? What does chemical cycling do?

A
  • Energy flows throughout the ecosystem
  • Chemical/matter cycles within ecosystems
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5
Q

What is the first law of thermodynamics?

A

States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed

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6
Q

How does energy enter an ecosystem?

How does energy exit an ecosystem?

A
  • Enters as solar radiation/sunlight
  • Exits as lost heat
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7
Q

What is the second law of thermodynamics?

A

States that every exchange of energy increases the entropy of the universe

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8
Q

What does the law of conservation of mass state?

A

States that matter cannot be created or destroyed

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9
Q

What does it mean if ecosystems are open systems?

A
  • Absorbs energy and mass, and then release heat and waste products
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10
Q

What are autotrophs?

A

Organisms that build molecules themselves using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as an energy source

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11
Q

What is an example of autotrophs?

A

Plants

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12
Q

What does heterotrophs depend on?

A

Organisms depend on the biosynthetic output of other organisms;

  • do not produce their own food as an energy source
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13
Q

From low of the food chain and high of the food chain, describe who belongs to what

A

autotrophs –> primary producers

herbivores –> primary consumers

carnivores –> secondary consumers

carnivores eat other carnivores –> tertiary consumers

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14
Q

What are detritivores/decomposers?

A

Consumers that derive their energy from detritus

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15
Q

What is detritus?

A

Nonliving organic matter/material

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16
Q

What are some examples of some important detritivores/decomposers? (2)

A
  • prokaryotes
  • fungi
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17
Q

What is primary production?

A

The amount of light energy converted to a chemical energy by autotrophs during a given time period

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18
Q

What are the two autotrophs in the ecosystems?

A
  • autotrophs –> use of photosynthesis
  • chemoautotrophs –> use of chemicals
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19
Q

How much of the solar energy goes to photosynthetic organisms?

A
  • Only such a small fraction
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20
Q

What is gross primary production (GPP)?

A

Total primary production of an ecosystem

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21
Q

What is net primary production (NPP)?

A

GPP minus energy used by primary producers for respiration

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22
Q

How is GPP measured?

A

Measured as the conversion of chemical energy from photosynthesis per unit of time

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23
Q

What is NPP only available to?

A

only to consumers

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24
Q

What is standing crop?

A

The total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs at a given time

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25
Which ecosystems are the most productive ecosystems per unit area? (3)
- tropical rain forests - estuaries - coral reefs
26
Which ecosystem is the relatively unproductive per unit area?
Marine ecosystems
27
What is net ecosystem production (NEP)?
A measure of the total biomass accumulation during a given period
28
What is the formula of NEP?
GPP minus total respiration of all organisms in an ecosystem
29
How is NET estimated?
Estimated by comparing the net flux of CO2 and O2 in an ecosystem
30
What does the release of O2 indicated?
Indicates the storing of CO2
31
In aquatic ecosystems, what controls primary production? (2)
- light - nutrients
32
What is a limiting nutrient?
The element that must be added for production to increase in an area
33
Which two nutrients usually limit marine production?
- nitrogen - phosphorous
34
What is eutrophication?
When an aquatic area receives too much nutrients - leads to an overgrowth of algae and other microorganisms
35
What does primary production increase with?
Increases with moisture
36
What is evapotranspiration?
Water transpired by plants and evaporated from a landscape
37
What is the most common limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems?
Nitrogen
38
In terrestrial ecosystems, what is the limiting factor of primary production?
Soil nutrient
39
What are the various adaptations plants are able to access limiting nutrients from soil? (4)
- Some plants form mutualisms with nitrogen-fixing bacteria - Many plants form mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi; these fungi supply plants with phosphorus and other limiting elements - Roots have root hairs that increase surface area - Many plants release enzymes that increase the availability of limiting nutrients
40
What is secondary production?
The amount of chemical energy in food converted to new biomass during a given period of time
41
What is production efficiency?
The fraction of energy stored in food that is not used for respiration
42
What is the production efficiency formula?
(Net secondary production * 100%) / (Assimilation of primary production)
43
What is trophic efficiency?
Percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next
44
What is the trophic efficiency level range?
Usually 10% but has a range of 5% - 20%
45
About how much chemical energy is fixed by photosynthesis?
Approximately 0.1% (1/1000) of chemical energy
46
What does each tier represent in a biomass pyramid?
Represents the dry mass of all organisms in one trophic level
47
What happens to biomass as you reach higher trophic levels?
The biomass sharply decrease
48
What is turnover time?
Ratio of standing crop biomass to production
49
What are biogeochemical cycles?
Nutrient cycles in ecosystems involving biotic and abiotic components
50
Which gases are in the biogeochemical cycles globally? (4)
- gaseous carbon - oxygen - sulfur - nitrogen
51
What are the less mobile elements in the biogeochemical cycles? (3)
- phosphorous - potassium - calcium
52
What are the 4 factors that ecologists focus on in studying cycling of water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous?
- Each chemical’s biological importance - Forms in which each chemical is available or used by organisms - Major reservoirs for each chemical - Key processes driving movement of each chemical through its cycle
53
On earth, how is water distributed?
97% of it is in the ocean 2% is in glaciers and polar ice caps 1% is in lakes, rivers, and groundwater
54
What processes is water moved by? (5)
- evaporation - transpiration - condensation - precipitation - movement thru surface and groundwater
55
What happens in the carbon cycle? (3)
- CO2 is taken up and released through photosynthesis and respiration - volcanoes and the burning of fossil fuels contribute CO2 to the atmosphere - Organisms such as animals and humans give off carbon dioxide
56
What cycles are apart of biogeochemical cycle?
- water cycle - carbon cycle - phosphorous cycle - nitrogen cycle
57
What are two usable forms of nitrogen?
Ammonia (NH4) Nitrate (NO3-)
58
How does nitrogen convert to a usable form?
By becoming fixed via nitrogen fixation by bacteria
59
What is denitrificaiton?
Conversion of NO3- (nitrate) to N2 (nitrogen)
60
What is ammonification?
Decomposing of nitrogen to ammonia NH4
61
What is nitrification?
Decomposition of NH4/ammonia to nitrate (NO3-)
62
What is the rate of decomposition controlled by? (3)
- temperature - moisture - nutrient availability
63
What affects the rate at which nutrients cycle differently?
- Differing rates of decomposition
64
What does rapid decomposition result in?
Results in relatively low levels of nutrients in the soil
65
Decomposition is slow in what kind of muds?
Anaerobic muds
66
What is nutrient loss in a forest ecosystem controlled by?
Mainly by plants
67
What are 2 key strategies of restoration ecology?
- bioremediation - augmentation of ecosystem processes
68
What is bioremediation?
Use of organisms to detoxify ecosystems
69
Which organisms are most often used for bioremediation? (3)
- prokaryotes - fungi - plants
70
What is biological augmentation?
The use of organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem
71
What is an example of biological augmentation?
nitrogen-fixing plants can increase the available nitrogen in soil or the adding of mycorrhizal fungi to help plants access nutrients in the soil
72
What is the long term objective of restoration?
Returning the ecosystem to its pre-disturbed state

Biology (34 decks)

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