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Biology Midterms- Study Ultimatum > Material Deck > Flashcards

Material Deck Flashcards

(67 cards)

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1
Q

Carrying capacity:

A

the maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support sustainably.

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2
Q

Factors Influencing Carrying Capacity:

A

Resource Availability

Living and Nonliving Challenges

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3
Q

Resource Availability influence carrying capacity:

A

Food, water, shelter, and other essential resources.

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4
Q

Living and Nonliving Challenges that influence carrying capacity:

A

Predation, competition for resources, disease, and abiotic factors like climate.

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5
Q

Dynamic Nature:

A

Changes in resources or environmental conditions can shift an ecosystem’s carrying capacity.

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6
Q

Examples of dynamic nature:

A

Deer populations increase due to the absence of predators until food becomes scarce.

A pond ecosystem with limited oxygen supporting a finite number of fish.

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7
Q

What happens to populations when they exceed their carrying capacity?

A

the species will deplete its source of food, water, or other necessities

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8
Q

How do abiotic factors like temperature or water availability affect carrying capacity?

A

Insufficient water supply or drought conditions can reduce the carrying capacity of an ecosystem

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9
Q

Group Behavior

A

Many species engage in group behaviors that improve survival and reproductive success.

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10
Q

Examples of Group Behavior:

A

Herding/Flocking

Cooperative Hunting

Social Structures

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11
Q

Herding/Flocking (group behavior example)-

A

Protection against predators through safety in numbers.

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12
Q

Cooperative Hunting (group behavior example)-

A

Wolves and lions working together to catch larger prey.

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13
Q

Social Structures (group behavior example)-

A

Bees and ants coordinating to build colonies.

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14
Q

Genetic Relatives in group behavior-

A

Group behavior often benefits individuals and their relatives, ensuring genetic material is passed on.

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15
Q

Why is group behavior considered an evolutionary advantage?

A

Groups provided a buffer against hostile environments and facilitated access to many resources that were essential to reproductive fitness.

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16
Q

Ecosystem Stability:

A

An ecosystem’s ability to maintain its structure and function over time under stable conditions.

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17
Q

Ecosystem Resilience:

A

The capacity of an ecosystem to recover after disturbances.

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18
Q

Disturbance Types:

A

Moderate & Extreme

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19
Q

Moderate Disturbance Types-

A

Natural disasters like wildfires or seasonal flooding, which ecosystems can recover from.

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20
Q

Extreme Disturbance Types-

A

Severe pollution or habitat destruction, leading to permanent changes.

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21
Q

Challenges of an Ecosystem Regarding Fluctuation:

A

Extreme fluctuations in population size can strain resources and destabilize ecosystems.

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22
Q

What factors contribute to an ecosystem’s stability?

A

Biodiversity, food web interactions, nutrient cycling, and environmental resilience

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23
Q

How can extreme disturbances permanently alter ecosystems?

A

Promote changes to the biodiversity or health of the system.

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24
Q

Anthropogenic Changes:

A

Human activities that disrupt ecosystems and threaten species survival.

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25
Key Examples of Anthropogenic Changes:
Habitat Destruction Pollution Invasive Species Climate Change
26
Habitat Destruction Examples:
Deforestation, urbanization, and agriculture reduce available habitat.
27
Pollution's effect on ecosystems:
Chemicals and waste harm ecosystems, water quality, and air.
28
Invasive Species:
Non-native species outcompeting native organisms.
29
Climate Change:
Shifting temperatures and weather patterns disrupt ecosystems.
30
Anthropogenic Changes Effects on Biodiversity:
Loss of species impacts ecosystem services like pollination and water purification.
31
How does climate change affect species and ecosystems?
Climate change disrupts habitats, alters food chains, and forces species to migrate or adapt, leading to biodiversity loss and ecosystem imbalance.
32
Explain how invasive species disrupt native ecosystems.
Invasive species outcompete native species for resources, alter habitats, spread diseases, and disrupt food chains, leading to biodiversity loss and ecosystem instability.
33
Importance of Biodiversity:
Supports ecosystem productivity and stability. Provides resources such as food, medicine, and raw materials. Offers cultural, recreational, and aesthetic value.
34
Threats to Biodiversity:
Overpopulation, overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.
35
Sustaining Biodiversity:
Practices like conservation, sustainable resource use, and habitat restoration.
36
How can humans sustain biodiversity to ensure ecosystem services continue?
Humans can sustain biodiversity by protecting habitats, reducing pollution, preventing overexploitation of resources, controlling invasive species, and promoting sustainable development practices.
37
Predation:
One organism consuming another for energy.
38
Photosynthesis: Definition and Equation
Plants (or algae) convert light energy into chemical energy stored in sugars. This process uses carbon dioxide and water and releases oxygen as a byproduct. Equation: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Solar Energy→ C₆H₁₂O₆ (Glucose) + 6O₂
39
Cellular Respiration: Definintion and Equation
Organisms break down sugar molecules to release energy for cellular functions. This process occurs in plants, animals, and decomposers. C₆H₁₂O₆ (Glucose) + 6O₂→ 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + ATP
40
Plants and Carbon Storage:
Arctic plants store carbon in the form of peat, an accumulation of partially decomposed organic matter.
41
Respiration and Fires:
When peat burns, stored carbon is released as carbon dioxide, contributing to atmospheric greenhouse gases.
42
How do zombie fires disrupt the carbon cycle by releasing stored carbon?
Zombie fires reignite from underground peat, releasing stored carbon as CO₂ into the atmosphere, disrupting the balance and accelerating climate change.
43
Energy Sources:
The sun provides energy for nearly all life processes through photosynthesis.
44
Food Webs:
Plants or algae form the base of food webs, transferring energy to herbivores and predators.
45
Inefficiencies in Energy Transfer:
Only about 10% of energy is passed to the next trophic level, with the rest lost as heat.
46
Matter Cycling:
Decomposers break down organic matter, cycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
47
Peat acts as an ------ --------- in Arctic ecosystems. When burned, the energy is released as what?
energy reservoir heat and carbon dioxide.
48
Fires disrupt energy flow by destroying ------- --------- and altering ---- ----.
primary producers (plants) food webs
49
What is the role of primary producers in Arctic ecosystems?
Primary producers, like algae and mosses, convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food web and supporting all Arctic life.
50
How do zombie fires impact energy flow and food web dynamics?
Zombie fires release stored carbon and disrupt vegetation, reducing primary production. This lowers energy availability for herbivores and disrupts the entire food web, affecting species at all levels.
51
Carbon Reservoirs:
The Arctic stores large amounts of carbon in frozen peat, soil, and plant matter.
52
Carbon Cycle:
1. Photosynthesis 2. Respiration 3. Decomposition
53
Decomposition:
Breaks down dead organic matter, cycling carbon into soil and air.
54
Zombie Fires:
Burn underground, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change.
55
What processes release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?
Processes like respiration, combustion (burning of fossil fuels and biomass), deforestation, and volcanic eruptions release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
56
Anthropogenic Climate Change:
Human activities like burning fossil fuels increase atmospheric greenhouse gases, causing global warming.
57
Positive Feedback Loops:
A positive feedback loop is a process where an initial change causes effects that intensify or reinforce the original change, leading to an accelerating cycle.
58
Example of Positive Feedback Loops:
Warming melts permafrost, releasing trapped greenhouse gases, which cause further warming. Zombie fires perpetuate this loop by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and further warming the Arctic.
59
What are the consequences of permafrost thawing for Arctic ecosystems and the global climate?
Permafrost thawing releases stored carbon, contributing to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This disrupts Arctic ecosystems, alters habitats, and accelerates global warming.
60
Matter Conservation:
Matter is neither created nor destroyed; it cycles through ecosystems.
61
Energy Conservation:
Energy flows through ecosystems and is transformed but not destroyed.
62
Arctic Fire Impacts:
Peat burning releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, shifting the balance of matter and energy in ecosystems.
63
How is matter cycled through Arctic ecosystems?
Matter in Arctic ecosystems is cycled through processes like decomposition, where dead organisms break down and release nutrients into the soil. These nutrients are then taken up by plants, which are consumed by herbivores, continuing the cycle.
64
Explain how zombie fires transform stored energy into atmospheric heat.
Zombie fires burn through underground peat, releasing stored carbon in the form of CO₂. This CO₂ increases atmospheric greenhouse gases, trapping heat and contributing to global warming.
65
How does the law of conservation of matter apply to the carbon released during peat fires?
The law of conservation of matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed. During peat fires, carbon stored in the peat is released as CO₂ into the atmosphere, but the carbon is not destroyed—it is simply transformed from solid form to a gas.
66
Permafrost:
Permanently frozen soil in the Arctic that stores organic matter and carbon.
67
Feedback Loop:
A process where a system amplifies its own changes.

Biology Midterms- Study Ultimatum (7 decks)

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