Otter Study Guide Flashcards

1
Q

definition: a condition of balance & equilibrium within an internal environment

A

homeostasis

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2
Q

definition: conditions vary around a central tendency but NEVER a constant condition

A

dynamic equilibrium

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3
Q

Is there a point or an acceptable range for homeostasis and dynamic equilibrium?

A

an acceptable range

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4
Q

_______ keep their internal conditions constant.

A

regulators

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5
Q

______ match their internal environment to their external environment.

A

conformers

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6
Q

What are the benefits of regulators?

A

-can live in a wide range of habitats
-enzymes are always functioning optimally

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7
Q

What are the benefits of conformers?

A

-don’t have to use as much energy or eat as much

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8
Q

What are the costs of regulators?

A

-takes a lot of energy to maintain their temperature

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9
Q

What are the costs of conformers?

A

-enzymes might not always act optimally
-limited environment range; very narrow range of habitats

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10
Q

Graph of internal vs external environment for conformers?

A

positive/negative sloped line

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11
Q

Graph of internal vs external environment for regulators?

A

line with 0 slope

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12
Q

What can temperature control range from?

A

thermoregulator to thermoconformer (most species are in between these 2)

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13
Q

What is the significance of temperature and enzyme function in an organism?

A

certain chemical reactions can only take place if at a certain temperature

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14
Q

_________: temperature can be controlled by biochemical processes like METABOLISM

A

endotherm

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15
Q

_______: heat source is primarily from the environment

A

ectotherm

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16
Q

What are common examples of endotherms?

A

birds and mammals

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17
Q

How does metabolic rate changes outside of the therm-neutral zone?

A

increases

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18
Q

Who has a higher metabolic rate, endotherms or ectotherms?

A

endotherms

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19
Q

Why do endotherms have higher metabolic rates?

A

they have to burn large quantities of fuel (food) to maintain their internal body temperature

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20
Q

Do larger or smaller organisms have higher metabolic rates?

A

larger

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21
Q

Do larger or smaller organisms have higher metabolic rates PER KG?

A

smaller

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22
Q

Why do smaller organisms have higher metabolic rates PER KG?

A

they have a higher ratio of surface area to volume; smaller organisms lose body heat faster than large organisms

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23
Q

Can ectotherms alter their metabolic rate?

A

no, but they can do lots of other things to help regulate temperature

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24
Q

What are common examples of ectotherms?

A

reptiles and amphibians

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25
Q

What is the most common example of an organism between endo and ectotherm?

A

insects that heat up parts of the body and muscle actions move

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26
Q

________: an animal that maintains a constant internal body temperature, usually within a narrow range of temperatures

A

homeotherm

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27
Q

________: an organism with a variable body temperature that tends to fluctuate with or is similar to the temperature of its environment

A

poikilotherm

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28
Q

What are adaptations to regulate temperature if its too HOT?

A

sweat, dilation of blood vessels (vasodilation), panting, shedding, burrowing, large ears (dissipate heat), go to shade, swimming, light colored skin, nocturnal

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29
Q

What are adaptations to regulate temperature if its too COLD?

A

blubber, hibernation, snuggle, shivering, constriction of blood vessels (vasoconstriction), increase metabolic rate, goosebumps, limit blood flow to extremes

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30
Q

What adaptations do otters have to keep themselves warm?

A

-thick fur (dense and water resistant)
-high caloric requirements / high metabolic rate

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31
Q

Why do otters have such high caloric requirements?

A

to generate body heat and keep themselves warm in the exceptionally cold waters

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32
Q

Are organisms either a regulator or conformer? Can they exist in the middle?

A

yes, can exist in between

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33
Q

Regulator and Conformer can also be used to describe other biological variables, such as?

A

water concentration/salinity (osmoregulator/osmoconformer)

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34
Q

What is the main reason thermoregulation is so important?

A

enzymes

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35
Q

______ feedback: a disturbance that promotes change that leads back towards equilibrium

A

negative

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36
Q

______ feedback: a disturbance that promotes further change towards an extreme

A

positive

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37
Q

What is a common example of a negative feedback?

A

predator/prey cycles (overshoot, undershoot, overshoot)

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38
Q

What is a common example of a positive feedback?

A

hormones in labor (child birth), avalanche, climate change (build, build, build, CRASH)

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39
Q

What law says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be converted into different forms?

A

first law of thermodynamics

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40
Q

What law says that the state of entropy of the entire universe, as an isolated system, will always increase over time?

A

second law of thermodynamics

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41
Q

Why is there low energy transfer between trophic levels?

A

only 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, the rest (90%) is mostly lost through metabolic processes as heat (2nd law of thermodynamics)

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42
Q

What does every chemical reaction lose energy to?

A

heat

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43
Q

If a molecule has MORE bonds and is therefore larger, then it will have more what?

A

total energy

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44
Q

How does the 1st law of thermodynamics explain human metabolism?

A

the conversion of food into energy that is used by the body to perform activities

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45
Q

How do the laws of thermodynamics apply to cells and cellular functions?

A

while cells are ordered, the processes performed to maintain that order result in an increase in the entropy in the cell’s/organism’s surroundings

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46
Q

What are some abiotic characteristics of the Kelp Forest?

A

-cold water all year round (Northern CA)
-high dissolved nutrients in water –> result of upwelling
-high O2

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47
Q

Biotic characteristics of kelp forest?

A

-phytoplankton
-zooplankton
-marine invertebrates & mammals

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48
Q

Kelp is a species of macro algae (micro algae = phytoplankton), but is it classified as a plant?

A

no, its a brown alga part of the Protista kingdom

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49
Q

definition: this theory favors foraging strategies that balance the benefits of a particular food, such as energy and nutrients, with the cost of obtaining it, such as energy expenditure and risk of predation (maximize benefits & minimize costs)

A

optimal foraging theory

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50
Q

What should predators do when high quality foods become more difficult to acquire?

A

they should incorporate more suboptimal prey into their diet (prey swtiching)

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51
Q

How do you calculate preferred prey order?

A

net energy gain = calories gain - calories spent (want the highest energy gain!)

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52
Q

What kinds of things contribute to calories spent by predators when trying to attain prey?

A

-how hard it is to open/eat
-how deep underwater it is
-how much energy does it take to get the prey item

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53
Q

Order of top 4 prey items for otters?

A

(1) Cancer crab
(2) abalone
(3) Red Sea urchin
(4) kelp crab

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54
Q

What is the position of an organism in the food chain called?

A

trophic level

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55
Q

Where does most of the energy go among the trophic levels?

A

PRODUCERRS–>the bottom & largest level of the pyramid

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56
Q

In most ecosystems, where can the largest energy level and largest biomass be found? Why?

A

producers because they obtain their energy directly from the sun, which is the most available resource

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57
Q

Biotic characteristics of an urchin barren?

A

-drift kelp is sparse
-sea urchins are poorly nourished
-low biodiversity

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58
Q

Abiotic characteristics of an urchin barren?

A

-extremely warm water
-absence of urchin predators (ex: sea otters)
-extensive purple urchin recruitment

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59
Q

_____-______ regulation of food webs: size of the producer level is determined by higher trophic levels

A

top-down

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60
Q

Is the kelp forest ecosystem top-down or bottom-up control?

A

top-down (sea otters determine if kelp is present or not)

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61
Q

_____-_______ regulation: higher trophic levels are limited by primary producers

A

bottom-up

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62
Q

Is the Sonoran reset top-down or bottom-up?

A

bottom-up due to limiting resources in the soil/sand (no water)

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63
Q

In the Pacific Coast food web, which organisms would decrease with the removal of otters?

A

-kelp & other algae
-smaller herbivorous fishes & invertebrates
-abalones
-sessile invertebrates
-smaller predatory fishes & invertebrates
-larger crabs
-larger fishes & octopuses

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64
Q

In the Pacific Coast food web, which organisms would increase/not be affected with the removal of otters?

A

increase: sea stars & sea urchins, dead animals
no effect: drift algae, planktonic invertebrates, & planktonic algae

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65
Q

definition: an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators often resulting in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling

A

trophic cascade (Kelp forest without otters)

66
Q

What are advantages of a Kelp forest vs an urchin barren?

A

-harboring endangered or commercially important species
-sequestering carbon
-prevention of shoreline erosion
-Oxygen production

67
Q

definition: top predator that doesn’t have anything else that eats it

A

apex predator

68
Q

definition: an organism that defines an entire ecosystem & is important to the ecosystem relative to its population size

A

keystone species

69
Q

In kelp forests, what are the keystone species?

A

sea otters

70
Q

What caused orca whales to start feeding on sea otters, declining their population greatly?

A

seals and sea lions were in short supply in the North Pacific (no preferred prey available)

71
Q

What are two types of trophic cascades?

A

top-down and bottom-up

72
Q

Timeline of Kelp Forests pre-1800-CURRENT:
______: Kelp Forest
______: urchin barren due to hunting
______: recovery of Kelp Forest
______: urchin barren due to killer whales/orcas

A

pre-19th century
19th century
1990s
2010s

73
Q

How much energy is lost at each level of the energy pyramid?

A

90% of the energy is lost as heat

74
Q

What is the main role of a primary producer?

A

synthesizing organic compounds from Carbon Dioxide through the process of photosynthesis

75
Q

What is the role of a primary consumer?

A

they are herbivores and work to keep the primary producer (plant and algae) population in check

76
Q

What is the role for a secondary consumer?

A

work to keep the primary consumer population in check

77
Q

What are the 5 things that move through food webs?

A

(1) energy
(2) Carbon
(3) toxins
(4) pollutants
(5) biomass

78
Q

definition: when a pollutant, like mercury, increases in concentration within an organism over time

A

bioaccumulation

79
Q

definition: concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting of other plants and animals

A

biomagnification

80
Q

Higher up on the food chain, are pesticides more or less concentrated?

A

more

81
Q

Bioaccumulation involves ____ species while biomagnification involves ______ species.

A

one; multiple

82
Q

What is the main cause of eutrophication?

A

an overabundance of nutrients, primarily Nitrogen and Phosphorus, in water

83
Q

What are the 8 steps of eutrophication?

A

(1) Runoff of excess nutrients from farms and yards (N&P)
(2) pulse of nutrients causes aquatic plants and algae to grow
(3) Oxygen is released (dO2 increases, dCO2 decreases)
(4) resources become limited and algae reach carrying capacity
(5) algae begin to die & decompose
(6) Oxygen is consumed in decomposition (dO2 decreases, dCO2 increases)
(7) hypoxia (Oxygen levels are shockingly low) or anoxia (Oxygen levels at 0)
(8) animals leave or die

84
Q

When aquatic life uses _____ in the water for their respiration, they exhale _____ which goes into the water.

A

Oxygen; CO2

85
Q

definition: occurs when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth

A

eutrophication

86
Q

Endotherm or ectotherm? their internal temperature can be controlled by altering metabolic rate (birds and mammals)

A

endotherm

87
Q

What is the relationship between endotherms and metabolic rate?

A

endotherms INCREASE their metabolic rate because of increased activity to stay warm

88
Q

Endotherm or ectotherm? body temperature is NOT controlled by metabolism but by other things instead

A

ecotherm

89
Q

What is the relationship between ectotherms and metabolic rate?

A

no relationship

90
Q

Do endo or ectotherms have lower standard metabolic rates and energy requirements?

A

ectotherms

91
Q

Why do smaller organisms lose more heat than larger organisms?

A

smaller organisms have a greater surface area for their mass than larger organisms & therefore they lose heat at a faster rate (high surface area to volume ratio)

92
Q

What are the tradeoffs of abalone as a sea otter prey even though they provide a lot of energy/calories?

A

they take very long to find and are difficult to eat (lots of energy spent)

93
Q

What determines the strategy that an animal might take to find food?

A

optimal foraging theory

94
Q

definition: frequency-dependent predation where the predator preferentially consumes the most common type of prey

A

prey switching

95
Q

What are adaptations that sea otters use to survive in cold waters?

A

-thick fur
-fast metabolism (thermogenesis)

96
Q

Why have orcas started eating otters?

A

the great whales they used to eat were wiped out by whaling back in the 1950s, so they had to prey switch

97
Q

What is climate change doing to the temperatures of oceans?

A

warming

98
Q

Why is decreased pH in ocean water bad?

A

shells and skeletons can begin to dissolve

99
Q

What is causing decreased pH in ocean waters?

A

increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere

100
Q

How do marine organisms respond to decreased pH in ocean water?

A

makes it more difficult for some marine organisms, such as coral and some plankton, to form their skeletons & existing shells may begin to dissolve

101
Q

What impacts does ocean acidification have on ecosystems / trophic cascades?

A

-decreased storm protection from reefs
-changes in habitat quality
-disruption of nutrient cycling
-decrease in tourism
-less fish for fisheries

102
Q

What impact does ocean acidification have on kelp forests?

A

-reduced growth rate for kelp
-negatively effects swimming speeds of some rockfish species
-interferes with urchins ability to transform calcium from seawater into their shells
-oysters, crabs, clams, & mollusks can also be affected
-sea otter pop may decline since it depends on urchins

103
Q

_____ law of thermodynamics: energy can be transferred or transformed but NOT created nor destroyed

A

first

104
Q

______ law of thermodynamics: entropy (heat) of the universe increases with every energy transfer or transformation

A

second

105
Q

How do the laws of thermodynamics relate to trophic levels and where energy is “lost” from food chains?

A

whenever energy transformations take place, some part of it is degraded by heat
(in food webs the efficiency is only 10% and the rest is lost as heat to the environment)

106
Q

What are 3 main ways that energy can be “lost” from food chains?

A

(1) heat released during respiration
(2) through movement
(3) in materials that the consumer does not digest (transferred to decomposers)

107
Q

When are GHG the highest? Why?

A

April/May; time when things start to heat up & decompose releasing CO2 and CH4 into the atmosphere

108
Q

When are GHG the lowest? Why?

A

September: throughout the summer, photosynthesis gradually declines CO2 levels so by the end of summer they are at their lowest amount

109
Q

What causes annual cycles in GHG?

A

There is a decrease in CO2 levels that begins every year in May. Once winter arrives, plants save energy by decreasing photosynthesis.

110
Q

What causes dissolved O2 to decrease in the eutrophication process?

A

algae death and decomposition require dissolved O2

111
Q

What causes dissolved O2 to increase during eutrophication?

A

the algal bloom initially increases photosynthesis which produces lots of Oxygen

112
Q

What is the result of eutrophication?

A

(1) harmful algal blooms
(2) dead zones
(3) fish mortality

113
Q

______ refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere. _____ describes what the ______ is like over a long period of time in a specific area.

A

weather; climate; weather

114
Q

In the Greenhouse effect, what are 3 options for light energy coming in?

A

(1) absorption
(2) reflection
(3) refraction

115
Q

How do greenhouse gases contribute to the greenhouse effect?

A

GHG trap heat that would otherwise escape from the atmosphere

116
Q

What can change the input of sun intensity?

A

milankovitch cycles

117
Q

GWP of CO2?

A

1

118
Q

GWP of nitrous oxide?

A

298

119
Q

GWP of methane?

A

21

120
Q

GWP of fluorinated gases?

A

about 7000

121
Q

What 2 factors need to be taken into account for the contribution to climate change by GHGs?

A

(1) GWP
(2) abundance of emission

122
Q

Why is the impact of a GHG on warming different than their relative GWPs?

A

depends on the quantity of gas available as well

123
Q

What was the current concentration of CO2 measured in January 2023?

A

419 ppm

124
Q

What are natural sources of CO2?

A

fires, decay, volcanos, respiration

125
Q

What are natural sources of Nitrous Oxide?

A

N-cycle, fires

126
Q

What are natural sources of Fluorinated compounds?

A

NONE

127
Q

What are natural sources of water vapor?

A

transpiration, evaporation

128
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of CO2?

A

fossil fuel burning, land use change, cement

129
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of Nitrous oxide?

A

gasoline burning, fires, excess agricultural fertilization

130
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of Fluorinated compounds?

A

coolants

131
Q

What are anthropogenic sources of water vapors?

A

NONE

132
Q

What are the 4 positive feedbacks?

A

(1) water vapor feedback
(2) ocean CO2 feedback
(3) albedo feedback
(4) methane-permafrost feedback

133
Q

How do rising temperature affect the water cycle?

A

warmer air can hold more water vapor which can lead to stronger, more intense storms

134
Q

Basics of the water vapor feedback.

A

(1) anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and methane are warming the Earth
(2) rising average temperature increases evaporation rates and atmospheric water vapor concentrations
(3) increased water vapor in the atmosphere amplifies the warming caused by other GHGs

135
Q

What is the ocean CO2 feedback affected by?

A

increasing atmospheric CO2 leading to increased dissolved bicarbonate ion in the ocean

136
Q

Ocean as a source or sink for CO2?

A

sink

137
Q

What happens when Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by oceans?

A

it dissolves to form carbonic acid

138
Q

How does temperature impact CO2 in the oceans?

A

absorption of CO2 decreases as temperature increases; COLD water is better at dissolving and absorbing gasses

139
Q

Basics of Ocean CO2 feedback.

A

(1) CO2 increases warming potential of atmosphere
(2) air temperatures warm ocean temperatures
(3) oceans release CO2 back into atmosphere

140
Q

Basics of albedo feedback.

A

(1) melting of sea ice
(2) lowers the albedo, as darker ocean water is revealed
(3) increased absorption of sunlight by ocean, which leads to the melting of more ice

141
Q

What is a natural cause of changes in albedo?

A

amount of ice covering the planet is dropping as a result of increased temperatures

142
Q

Albedo and methane-permafrost feedback is a cause of ____ warming.

A

arctic

143
Q

definition: a permanently frozen layer on or under Earth’s surface–usually consists of soil, gravel, sand and is bound together by ice

A

permafrost

144
Q

Why is methane release worse than co2 even though methane has a shorter atmospheric lifetime?

A

methane is a much stronger/more potent GHG that absorbs much more energy in the atmosphere

145
Q

Basics of Methane-permafrost feedback.

A

(1) temperature rises
(2) permafrost thaws
(3) carbon dioxide and methane is released into atmosphere further warming temperature

146
Q

Anthropogenic gases that accelerate climate change include?

A

CO2, nitrous oxide, and methane

147
Q

Nonanthropogenic gases that accelerate climate change include?

A

water vapor

148
Q

definition: a component of the climate system that has the capacity to store, accumulate, or release Carbon

A

Carbon pool

149
Q

What are the six pools for Carbon?

A

atmosphere
ocean (surface & deep)
fossil fuels/rocks
biomass
soil

150
Q

How does C move from the soil to atmosphere?

A

soil respiration by bacteria and microorganisms

151
Q

How does C move from rocks & fossil fuels to the atmosphere?

A

combustion

152
Q

What are two ways in which C moves from biomass to the atmosphere?

A

(1) respiration
(2) decay & decomposition

153
Q

How does C move from atmosphere into biomass?

A

photosynthesis

154
Q

How does C move from atmosphere into the surface ocean? deep ocean?

A

surface ocean: diffusion & photosynthesis
deep ocean: sedimentation

155
Q

How does C move from the ocean to the atmosphere?

A

diffusion

156
Q

What affects the annual cycle of CO2 in the atmosphere?

A

the role of plants

157
Q

How does temperature impact aspects of the Carbon cycle?

A

-warmer temperatures increase the rate of decomposition which increases the rate of Carbon transfer to the soil by decomposers
-as oceans warm, they release CO2 into the atmosphere

158
Q

Short term inputs of atmospheric CO2?

A

organisms respirating or decomposing, forest fires, volcanoes

159
Q

Long term inputs of atmospheric CO2?

A

burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil

160
Q

How does the Carbon cycle related to climate change but also successions and ecosystems?

A

plants and animals are a critical part of the C cycle, so as ecosystems change the C cycle will also change

161
Q

How does C move from the atmosphere into the long-term cycle (rocks)?

A

when animals die, their body decays leaving C in the ground & is buried and will become fossil fuels eventually

162
Q

definition: reduction in the pH of water caused primarily by an uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere

A

ocean acidification