Module 10 Flashcards
(28 cards)
Ecology:
The study of the interactions between living and nonliving things.
Population:
A group of interbreeding organisms coexisting together
Community:
A group of populations living and interacting in the same area,
Ecosystem:
An association of living organisms and their physical environment
Biome:
A group of ecosystems classified by climate and plant life.
Primary consumer:
An organism that eats producers
Secondary consumer:
An organism that eats primary consumers
Tertiary consumer:
An organism that eats secondary consumers
Ecological pyramid:
A diagram that shows the biomass of organisms at each trophic level
Biomass:
A measure of the total dry mass of organisms with in a particular region.
Transpiration:
Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant
Watershed:
An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water.
Greenhouse effect:
The process by which certain gases (principally water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane) trap heat that would otherwise escape the earth and radiate into space.
When fruits or vegetables are imported into the U.S. from a foreign country, they are always very closely inspected for insects even though the vast majority of insects are not really harmful. Why is the inspection done?
if an insect is not native to America it could ruin the balance of the US ecosystem.
Name the participants in the 3 new symbiotic relationships that we learned in this module. Briefly describe the roles of each participant.
1) the clownfish + sea anemone. the clownfish gets protection the sea anemone gets food that is attracted by the clownfish
2) Goby + blind shrimp: shrimp gets warning system (protection) and the Goby gets a home/place to hide
3) Oriental sweet lips + blue-streak wrasse: sweetlips gets it’s teeth cleaned and the wrasse gets a meal
What fundamental assumption of macroevolution does mutualism seem to contradict?
the battle for survival.
In the water cycle of an ocean shore ecosystem, more water evaporates from the ocean than falls back into the ocean in the form of rain. Why doesn’t the ocean lose water?
because surface runoff also drains into the ocean
What does the water cycle accomplish besides balancing the water in an ecosystem?
it transports nutrients.
What is the possible consequence if deforestation occurs in a watershed?
too many nutrients will flow into the stream throwing off the ecosystem.
what is the principal means by which oxygen is taken from the air? What is the principal means by which It is restored to the air?
respiration. photosynthesis
Name the other ways that oxygen is removed from the air.
Fire, rusting of metals and minerals, and ozone formation.
Name the other ways that oxygen is replenished in the air.
water vapor destruction and ozone destruction.
Name the other ways that carbon dioxide is removed from the air.
dissolving into the ocean and photosynthesis.
Name the other ways that carbon dioxide is replenished in the air.
fuel burning, fire, respiration, + decomposition.
