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Hi Biology > Ecosystem > Flashcards

Ecosystem Flashcards

1
Q

An ______ can be visualised as a functional unit of nature, where living organisms interact among themselves and also with the surrounding physical environment

A

Ecosystem

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2
Q

Ecosystems are divided into two basic categories, namely:

A

Terrestrial and aquatic

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3
Q

Examples of terrestrial ecosystem are:

A

Forest, grassland and desert

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4
Q

Pond, Lake, weland, river and estuary are included in which category of ecosystem?

A

Aquatic

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5
Q

Name two man-made ecosystems

A

Crop fields and aquarium

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6
Q

Transfer of energy in an ecosystem occurs through _______ and ______

A

Food chains/webs; nutrient cycling

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7
Q

Interaction of ______ and ______ components result in a physical structure that is characteristic for each type of ecosystem

A

Biotic; abiotic

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8
Q

Vertical distribution of different species occupying different levels is called?

A

stratification

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9
Q

_______ occupy top vertical strata or layer of a forest

A

trees

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10
Q

Bottom vertical strata of a forest is occupied by ______ and _____

A

Herbs; grasses

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11
Q

The abiotic components of a pond are _____ and ____

A

Water; soil

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12
Q

Phytoplanktons, algae and plants are the ____ components of the pool

A

autotropic

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13
Q

_______ is a consumer of the pond ecosystem

A

Zooplankton

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14
Q

The decomposers of the pond ecosystem are _____, ______ and _______

A

Fungi; bacteria; flagellates

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15
Q

In an ecosystem, inorganic material is converted into organic material with the help of ______ energy of the sun by the autotroph

A

radiant

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16
Q

In an ecosystem, _____ are consumed by heterotroph

A

autotrophs

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17
Q

There is unidirectional movement of energy towards the _____ trophic levels in an ecosystem

A

higher

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18
Q

Constant input of which energy is the basic requirement for any ecosystem to function and sustain is

A

Solar energy

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19
Q

The amount of biomass or organic matter produced per unit area over a time period by plants during photosynthesis is called :

A

Primary production

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20
Q

Primary production is expressed in terms of:

A

Weight(gm^-2) or energy (kcal m^-2)

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21
Q

The rate of biomass productivity is called:

A

productivity

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22
Q

Productivity is expressed in terms of:

A

gm^-2 yr^-1 or (kcal m^-2)yr^-1

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23
Q

_________ productivity of an ecosystem is the rate of production of organic matter during photosysnthesis

A

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

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24
Q

Gross primary productivity minus respiratory losses is equal to

A

Net primary productivity (NPP)

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25
Q

______ productivity is the available biomass for the consumption of heterotrophs

A

Net primary productivity (NPP)

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26
Q

The rate of formation of new organic matter by consumers is called?

A

Secondary productivity

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27
Q

The annual net primary productivity of the whole biosphere is approximately _____ tons (dry weight) of organic matter

A

170 billion tons

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28
Q

The productivity of the oceans in biosphere are only _____ tons

A

55 billion tons

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29
Q

_______ help in thr breakdown of complex organic matter as well as in loosening of the soil

A

Earthworms

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30
Q

Decomposers breakdown complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, water and nutrients and the process I’d called?

A

decomposition

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31
Q

The raw material for decomposition is called:

A

detritus

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32
Q

The important steps in the process of decomposition are:

A

Fragmentation, leaching, catabolism, humification and mineralisation

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33
Q

The process of breaking down detritus into smaller particles is called:

A

fragmentation

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34
Q

The process by which water-soluble inorganic nutrients go down into the soil horizon and get precipitated as unavailable salts is called?

A

Leaching

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35
Q

During the process of catabolism in decomposition, detritus is degraded into simpler inorganic substances by ______ and ______

A

Bacterial; fungal enzymes

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36
Q

During decomposition, fragmentation, leaching and catabolism take place on:

A

detritus

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37
Q

Humification and mineralisation occur during decomposition in the _____

A

soil

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38
Q

Humification leads to accumulation of dark coloured amorphous substances called:

A

humus

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39
Q

Humus is highly resistant to _____ action

A

microbial

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40
Q

Humus serves as a reservoir of nutrients due to its ____ nature

A

colloidal

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41
Q

The humus is degraded by microbes and inorganic nutrients are released by the process known as

A

mineralisation

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42
Q

Atmospheric gas required for decomposition is:

A

oxygen

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43
Q

The rate of decomposition is controlled by chemical composition of _____ and climatic factors

A

detritus

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44
Q

In a particular climatic condition, decomposition rate is slower if detritus is rich in ____ and _____

A

Lignin; chitin

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45
Q

In a particular climatic condition, decomposition rate is quicker if detritus is rich in ____ and _____

A

Nitrogen; water-soluble substances (such as sugar)

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46
Q

The two most important climatic factors that regulate the process of decomposition are:

A

Temperature and soil moisture

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47
Q

Warm and moist environment _____ the rate of decomposition

A

increases

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48
Q

Low temperature and _____ inhibit the process of decomposition

A

anaerobiosis

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49
Q

Which part of the incident solar radiation is captured by autotrophs?

A

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)

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50
Q

Plants capture only _____ of Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)

A

2% to 10%

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51
Q

The green plant in the ecosystem are called:

A

producers

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52
Q

In a ______ ecosystem, major producers are herbaceous and woody plants

A

terrestial

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53
Q

Major producers of aquatic ecosystem are various species like ___, ____ and ____

A

Phytoplankton; algae and higher plants

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54
Q

Food chains/ webs are formed because of the _____ of food among organism

A

interdependency

55
Q

Death of organism is the beginning of the ____ food chain/ web?

A

Detritus food chain/ web

56
Q

When animals consume plants directly, they are called ___ consumers.

A

primary

57
Q

When animals eat other animals which in turn eat the plants, they are called ______ consumers

A

Secondary consumers

58
Q

______ are some common herbivores of aquatic system

A

Molluscs

59
Q

Animals that depend on the primary carnivores for food are called?

A

Secondary carnivores

60
Q

The consumers that feed on herbivores are called ______ carnivores but ______ consumers

A

Primary; secondary

61
Q

________ organisms are decomposers in terms of mode of nutrition?

A

Heterotropic organism

62
Q

Decomposers are also known as :

A

Saprotrophs

63
Q

In a terrestrial ecosystem, a much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the ______

A

Grazing food chain

64
Q

Some of the organisms of _______ are prey to the _____ animals.

A

Detritus food chain; Grazing food chain

65
Q

In a natural ecosystem, some animals like cockroaches, are omnivores. These natural interconnection of food chains make it a _________

A

Food web

66
Q

Based on the source of their nutrition or food, organism occupy a specific place in the food chain that is known as their ______

A

Tropic level

67
Q

_________ belongs to first tropic level

A

Producers

68
Q

________ belongs to the first tropic level, _____ to the second and ______ to the third .

A

Producers; herbivores; Carnivores

69
Q

The amount of energy _______ at successive tropic levels

A

decreases

70
Q

Each tropic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular time called as the:

A

Standing crop

71
Q

The biomass of a species is expressed in terms of fresh or _______

A

Dry weight

72
Q

Only ____ per cent of the energy is transferred to each tropic level from the lower tropic level

A

10 per cent

73
Q

Food and energy relationship between organism is expressed in terms of ______, ______ or _____

A

Number; biomass; energy

74
Q

The base of each pyramid represents the _____

A

producers

75
Q

The base of a pyramid is broad and it narrows towards the ______

A

apex

76
Q

Energy at a lower tropic level of a food chain is always ______ than at a higher tropic level

A

more

77
Q

The pyramid of biomass in ____ is inverted

A

sea

78
Q

Pyramid of biomass in sea is inverted because biomass of _____ exceeds that of phytoplanktons

A

fishes

79
Q

Pyramid of ____ is always upright

A

energy

80
Q

Which pyramid does not take into account food webs?

A

Ecological

81
Q

The organisms which are not given any place in ecological pyramids are:

A

saprophytes

82
Q

Sequential changes with changes in physical environment leads to a community that is in near equilibrium with the environment and that is known as:

A

Climax community

83
Q

The gradual and predictable changes in the species composition of a given area is called:

A

Ecological succession

84
Q

The entire sequence that successively change in a given area are called?

A

Sere(s)

85
Q

The individual transitional communities involved in ecological succession are called:

A

Seral stages/communities

86
Q

The succession that starts in an areas where living organisms never existed is called:

A

Primary succession

87
Q

The succession that starts in areas that somehow, lost all of its living organisms is called:

A

Secondary succession

88
Q

Examples of areas where primary succession occurs are:

A

Newly cooled lava, bare rock, newly created pond or reservoir

89
Q

The establishment of a new ______ community is generally slow

A

Biotic community

90
Q

_____ succession begins in area where natural biotic communities have been destroyed.

A

Secondary

91
Q

_______ succession occurs faster than _____ succession

A

Secondary; primary

92
Q

During succession, _____ or _____ disturbances can convert a particular seral stage of succession to an earlier stage

A

Natural; human induced

93
Q

______ succession takes place in wet areas

A

Hydrarch succession

94
Q

During hydrarch succession, the successional series progress from hydric to the ____ conditions

A

mesic

95
Q

______ succession takes place in dry areas

A

Xerarch succession

96
Q

During xerarch succession, the successional series progress from xeric to _____ conditions

A

mesic

97
Q

The species that invade a bare area are called?

A

Pioneer species

98
Q

In primary succession on rocks these are usually ______ which are able to secreted acids to dissolve rocks

A

lichens

99
Q

During primary succession of rocks, some small plants that appear to take hold of the soil are:

A

bryphytes

100
Q

Climax community formed during primary succession on rocks is:

A

Forest community

101
Q

In primary succession in water, the pioneer are the small ______

A

phytoplanktons

102
Q

Climax community during primary succession in water is:

A

forest

103
Q

During primary succession in water, free-floating plants are replaced by ______, followed by ____, _______ and tress

A

Reed-swapy; marsh-meadow; scrub

104
Q

All succession whether taking place in water or on land, proceeds to a similar climax community-

A

The mesic

105
Q

The amount of nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen, etc., present in the soil at any given time, is referred to as the ______ state

A

Standing state

106
Q

The movement of nutrient elements through the various components of an ecosystem is called?

A

Nutrient cycling

107
Q

Nutrient cycling is of two types:

A

Gaseous and sedimentary

108
Q

______ is the reservoir for the gaseous type of cycle

A

Atmosphere

109
Q

Name two gaseous type of nutrient cycles

A

Nitrogen and carbon cycle

110
Q

Name two sedimentary cycles

A

Sulphur and phosphorus cycle

111
Q

Environmental factors, e.g., ______, ______, ______, ______, etc., regulate the rate of release of nutrients into the atmosphere

A

Soil, moisture, pH, temperature

112
Q

Carbon constitutes _____ percent of dry weight of organism

A

49

113
Q

_____ percent carbon is found dissolved in oceans.

A

71%

114
Q

The reservoir which regulates the amount of carbon dioxide in atmosphere is:

A

Ocean reservoir

115
Q

______ kg of carbon is fixed annually in the biosphere through photosynthesis

A

4 * 10^13

116
Q

According to one estimate 4 * 10^13 kg of carbon is fixed annually in the biosphere through _______

A

photosynthesis

117
Q

A considerable amount of carbon returns to the atmosphere as CO2 through ______ activities of the producers and consumers

A

respiratory

118
Q

Burning of wood, forest fire and combustion of organic matter, fossil fuel, volcanic activity are additional sources for releasing ______ in the atmosphere

A

Carbon dioxide

119
Q

________ is a major constituent of biological membranes, nuclei acids and cellular energy transfer systems

A

Phosphorus

120
Q

The natural reservoir of phosphorus is:

A

rock

121
Q

Rocks contains phosphorus in the form of:

A

phosphorus

122
Q

Herbivores and other animals obtain phosphorus from:

A

plants

123
Q

The waste products and the dead organisms are decomposed by ______ bacteria releasing phosphorus

A

phosphate-solubilising

124
Q

Robert Constanza and his colleagues have put an average price tag of US $ _______ a year on fundamental ecosystem services

A

33 trillon

125
Q

Mark A, B and C in the following diagram.

A

A) food web; B) leach; C) decomposition

126
Q

Mark A, B, C and D in the following diagram.

A

A) Tertiary consumer;
B) Birds, fishes, wolf;
C) Primary consumer;
D) Phytoplankton, grass, trees

127
Q

Mark A, B, C and D in the following diagram.

A

A) Plants;
B) Herbivores;
C) Carnivores;
D) Top carnivores

128
Q

Identify the type of pyramid in a grassland ecosystem in the figure

A

Pyramid of numbers

129
Q

Identify the type of pyramid in the figure

A

Pyramid of biomass

130
Q

Identify the type of pyramid in the figure

A

Pyramid of energy

131
Q

Mark A, B, C , D and E in the following figure

A

A) Phytoplankton;
B) Reed-swamp stage;
C) Submerged plant stage;
D) Scrub stage;
E) Forest

132
Q

Mark A, B, C, D, E and F in the following cycle

A

A) Limestone and dolomite;
B) Detritus food chain;
C) Coal;
D) CO2 in atmosphere;
E) Photosynthesis;
F) Calcereous sediments

133
Q

Mark A, B, C, D and E in the following figure

A

A) Consumers;
B) Detritus;
C) Decomposition;
D) Weathering;
E) Rock minerals

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