Ecosystems and the biosphere

Question 1

Ecosystem

Answer 1

communities and their abiotic environment

Question 2

energy flow

Answer 2

passage of energy in a one way direction thru an organism

Question 3

Where does energy flow start?

Answer 3

enters as sunlight

Question 4

producers

Answer 4

organisms that perform photosynthesis

Question 5

How much energy do producers use? From where? What happens to rest?

Answer 5

only 1% of energy from sun–rest reflected as heat or light

Question 6

Where is energy stored in producers? Form?

Answer 6

chemical form–bonds of organic molecules such as glucose

Question 7

organic

Answer 7

C bonded to C

Question 8

Glucose is converted to example of what other forms within producer? Why?

Answer 8

ATP; used for work

Question 9

What happens while work is accomplished (glucose)?

Answer 9

energy escapes as heat energy

Question 10

food chain

Answer 10

energy from food passes from one organism to the next in a sequence as they’re eaten

Question 11

food web

Answer 11

interconnected food chains in ecosystem

Question 12

what does food web show?

Answer 12

members of each trophic level–arrows go from what’s eaten to what eats it

Question 13

trophic level

Answer 13

eating level

Question 14

Level 1: Food Web

Answer 14

Producers convert energy from sun into chemical energy–glucose

Question 15

Level 2: Food Web

Answer 15

primary consumers–herbivores which eat plants and obtain the energy from the producers’ molecules

Question 16

Level 3: Food Web

Answer 16

secondary consumers–primary carnivores which eat the herbivores, obtaining the energy stored in primary carnivores

Question 17

Level 4: Food Web

Answer 17

tertiary consumers–secondary carnivores which eat the primary carnivores

Question 18

Level 5: Food Web

Answer 18

Decomposers (detritivores)–obtain their energy by consuming
dead plants and animals
usually bacteria, earthworms,

Question 19

Ecological pyramids

Answer 19

used to show the relationship between trophic levels

Pyramids can show energy, biomass, or number of organisms

Question 20

Pyramid of numbers

Answer 20

shows the number of organisms at each trophic level

in an ecosystem–most pyramids have fewer organisms occupying each successive trophic level,

Question 21

Ex of pyramid of numbers

Answer 21

in African grasslands, number of herbivores (zebras) is

greater than number of carnivores (lions)

Question 22

Inverted pyramid of numbers

Answer 22

higher trophic levels have more organisms

Question 23

ex of pyramid of numbers inverted

Answer 23

Ex- One tree (producer) provides food for thousands of insects (herbivore)

Question 24

Pyramid of biomass

Answer 24

shows total biomass (estimate of total mass of living

material) at each successive level

Question 25

Pyramid of energy-

Answer 25

indicates the energy content (kc/ m2/ year) of the | biomass of each level

Question 26

Energy pyramids always have what sizing? Why?

Answer 26

Energy pyramids always have large bases and get progressively smaller through succeeding trophic levels, because some energy is lost during each transfer and used by that organism

Question 27

Ecological efficiency

Answer 27

describes the proportion of energy represented | at one trophic level that is transferred to the next level

Question 28

What's the usual ecological efficiency?

Answer 28

Usually, only 10% of the energy is transferred

Question 29

cellular respiration

Answer 29

uses food for energy

Question 30

productivity

Answer 30

how efficient it is with organic compounds. only measuring with producers (so really measuring how much photosynthesis is happening and how much being passed on as opposed to being used in cellular respiration)

Question 31

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

Answer 31

rate at which energy is captured during photosynthesis by producers in a given ecosystem (or rate of organic compounds being produced)

Question 32

Net primary productivity (NPP)

Answer 32

energy that remains in plant tissues after | cellular respiration has occurred

Question 33

Find Net primary Productivity

Answer 33

Gross primary - Plant respiration | Productivity

Question 34

What does NPP represent?

Answer 34

NPP represents rate at which the organic material is actually incorporated into plant tissues to produce growth

Question 35

What energy out of productivity is available to consumers?

Answer 35

Only energy of NPP is available for consumers

Question 36

gauging primary productivity in aquatic ecosystem

Answer 36

Since oxygen is a product of photosynthesis, to measure the dissolved oxygen. We can then convert the amount of oxygen into mg of carbon fixed by using the calculations below.

Question 37

carbon fixed

Answer 37

=amount of carbon that went from CO2 to carbon compounds. fixation--turning one to the other.

Question 38

Calculate carbon fixed (PP)

Answer 38

GPP mg O2/L * .698 = mL O2 / L * .536 = mg carbon fixed/L

Question 39

measuring NPP

Answer 39

measuring the O2 production in light bc both photosynthesis and respiration are occurring. amount of O2 found in light (after time pd)-amount of O2 found initially

Question 40

measuring amount of O2 being used by respiration

Answer 40

by measuring the amount of O2 used in the ecosystem in the dark bc then no photosynthesis will occur.

Question 41

gross productivity measurement

Answer 41

Here, you are taking the amount of O2 produced during net | productivity and adding the amount of oxygen lost during respiration

Question 42

measuring gross productivity equation

Answer 42

amount of dissolved oxygen found in the light after given amount of time minus the amount of dissolved oxygen found in dark after given amount of time (bottle-dark or NPP + respiration)

Question 43

measuring amount of O2 being used by respiration

Answer 43

amount of dissolved oxygen found initially - amount found in the dark (initial-dark)

Question 44

NPP measure equation

Answer 44

amount of O2 found in light (after time pd)-amount of O2 found initially (bottle-initial)

Question 45

what do you need to know to measure productivity

Answer 45

knowing initial amount of O2 present

Question 46

unit for productivity

Answer 46

mg O2/L

Question 47

factors of productivity

Answer 47

Efficiency of carbon fixation o Availability of solar energy, nutrient minerals, and water o Climate factors o Human modification of the environment

Question 48

Biogeochemical cycles

Answer 48

shows how matter moves from | one part of an ecosystem to another

Question 49

Carbon cycle

Answer 49

movement of carbon between abiotic factors (atmosphere | and ocean) and organisms

Question 50

Carbon cycle step 1

Answer 50

Photosynthesis in plants, algae, and cynaobacteria remove CO2 from the atmosphere and incorporate it into organic compounds like glucose

Question 51

Carbon cycle step 2

Answer 51

Cellular respiration by these producers or by consumers that eat the producers returns the CO2 to the atmosphere from the organic compound

Question 52

What have a large storage of carbon compounds?

Answer 52

trees, Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases formed from the remains of ancient organisms, limestone

Question 53

Combustion

Answer 53

Burning--returns the carbon from trees and fossil fuels back to the atmosphere in the form of CO2

Question 54

Limestone

Answer 54

sedimentary rock, is made from shells of dead marine | organisms

Question 55

When is CO2 released into air or water

Answer 55

when rock is eroded

Question 56

Nitrogen cycle

Answer 56

``` atmospheric nitrogen (78% of atmosphere) is very stable, so it must first be broken apart before organisms can use it ```

Question 57

nitrogen fixation

Answer 57

``` Gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the atmosphere is converted into ammonia (NH3) ```

Question 58

What performs nitrogen fixation?

Answer 58

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Question 59

Where do nitrogen-fixing bacteria live?

Answer 59

nodules of plants

Question 60

cyanobacteria

Answer 60

fix nitrogen in aquatic environment

Question 61

nitrification

Answer 61

convert the ammonia into nitrates- NO3-

Question 62

Nitrifying bacteria

Answer 62

performs nitrification

Question 63

assimilation

Answer 63

absorb NH3, NH4+, NO3- formed and incorporate the nitrogen into proteins, nucleic acids, and chlorophyll

Question 64

When does assimilation occur?

Answer 64

post nitrification

Question 65

When does nitrification occur?

Answer 65

post nitrogen fixation

Question 66

Denitrifying bacteria

Answer 66

can convert the nitrogen compounds back into | gaseous nitrogen

Question 67

denitrification

Answer 67

reduction | of NO3- to N2 (atmospheric nitrogen)

Question 68

Phosphorous cycle

Answer 68

cycles from land to ocean and back to land (none in the | atmosphere)

Question 69

Phosphorous cycle step 1

Answer 69

Water runs over rocks containing phosphorous, carrying off inorganic phosphates PO4(3-)

Question 70

Phosphorous cycle step 2

Answer 70

Phosphate enters the soil where it is taken up and | used by plants

Question 71

How do animals obtain phosphorus

Answer 71

eating the plants

Question 72

what happens to phosphorus when the animal bodies containing it die

Answer 72

the phosphorous is released by decomposers and | reenters the soil

Question 73

What happens to Dissolved phosphorous

Answer 73

Dissolved phosphorous enters aquatic ecosystems and is taken up by algae and other plants, which larger organisms consume

Question 74

What happens when inorganic phosphorus is released by decomposers into water?

Answer 74

Phosphate may be deposited on sea floor- geologic processes lift it up where it can be eroded.

Question 75

Hydrologic cycle

Answer 75

water circulates from the ocean to the atmosphere to the | land and back to ocean

Question 76

evapo/transpiration

Answer 76

water evaporation from plants- adds more | water vapor to atmosphere

Question 77

How does water move from atmosphere to land

Answer 77

Water moves from atmosphere to land and ocean as | precipitation

Question 78

What happens when water evaporates from oceans, streams, rivers, lakes ?

Answer 78

condenses and enters the atmosphere as | clouds

Question 79

runoff

Answer 79

when water flows from land to ocean

Question 80

estuaries

Answer 80

areas where fresh water meets ocean

Question 81

What happens when water seeps down into soil

Answer 81

Water also seeps down in soil to become groundwater, where it is held- eventually supplies water to soil streams rivers plants and oceans

Question 82

biomass

Answer 82

estimate of total mass of living | material

Question 83

assimilation performed by

Answer 83

Roots of plants

Question 84

step 3 phosphorus cycle

Answer 84

animals may eat the plants

Question 85

step 1 nitrogen cycle

Answer 85

nitrogen fixation

Question 86

denitrification happens when?

Answer 86

post assimilation or nitrification, depending on whether the plants assimilate it

Question 87

Nitrogen cycle

Answer 87

Nitrogen fixation turns it into ammonium in soil, then it is nitrified into nitrates. It can either immediately be denitrified back to atmospheric N2, or it can be assimilated by plants and then used as amino acids and proteins in plants and animals. If so, the detritivores will decompose the organism when it dies and send to nitrogen back to soil ammonium.