Practice Test Questions Flashcards
(18 cards)
Explain how competition and predation influence carrying capacity in an ecosystem.
Competition: Organisms compete for limited resources such as food, water, and shelter. When resources are scarce, the population size is limited because not all organisms can survive and reproduce.
Predation: Predators regulate the population size of prey, ensuring it does not exceed the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Predation can also influence the distribution and behavior of prey species.
Connection to Serengeti Wildebeest Unit Regarding Carry Capacities and Predation:
In the Serengeti, wildebeest populations are influenced by resource availability (grass for grazing) and predation (lions, hyenas). The carrying capacity of the Serengeti for wildebeest is determined by the balance between the availability of grass and the number of predators.
Provide an example of an ecosystem recovering from a disturbance and describe the factors that contributed to its resilience.
After a wildfire, a forest can regrow over time through the process of succession. The resilience of the forest depends on factors such as the availability of seeds in the soil, species adapted to fire, and the absence of further disturbances.
Connection to Serengeti Wildebeest Unit Regarding Disturbances:
The Serengeti ecosystem demonstrates resilience after seasonal droughts. Grasslands regrow during the rainy season, providing food for wildebeest herds. This recovery supports the continued migration and population stability of the wildebeest.
How do human activities like pollution and deforestation affect ecosystem stability?
Pollution: Pollutants such as chemicals and waste can harm organisms, reduce biodiversity, and disrupt food webs.
Deforestation: Removing trees eliminates habitats for many species, reduces biodiversity, and disrupts ecosystem services like carbon storage and water regulation.
Connection to Serengeti Wildebeest Unit Regarding Pollution and Deforestation:
Human activities, such as poaching and land conversion for agriculture, threaten the stability of the Serengeti. Conservation efforts, like protected areas, aim to preserve the ecosystem’s balance and support species like the wildebeest.
Discuss the importance of biodiversity in maintaining ecosystem services.
High biodiversity ensures ecosystems are more stable, productive, and resilient to disturbances. It provides essential services like pollination, nutrient cycling, water purification, and climate regulation.
Connection to Serengeti Wildebeest Unit Biodiversity Importance:
High biodiversity ensures ecosystems are more stable, productive, and resilient to disturbances. It provides essential services like pollination, nutrient cycling, water purification, and climate regulation.
Describe a group behavior in animals and explain how it increases survival chances.
Wildebeest herds travel in large groups during migration. This behavior provides safety in numbers, reducing the likelihood of individual predation and ensuring better access to resources through coordinated movement.
Connection to Serengeti Wildebeest Unit Regarding Group Behavior:
In the Serengeti, wildebeest migrate in herds to follow seasonal resources. This group behavior protects individuals from predators like lions and ensures the survival of the population by locating food and water efficiently.
Explain how photosynthesis and respiration contribute to the Arctic carbon cycle.
Photosynthesis: Plants in the Arctic capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into stored energy (sugars), locking carbon in organic matter such as peat.
Respiration: Plants, animals, and decomposers break down organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
Connection to Zombie Fires Regarding Photosynthesis and Respiration’s Artic Contributions:
When peat burns, it bypasses normal decomposition, releasing large amounts of stored carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, disrupting the carbon cycle.
Describe the role of peat in storing carbon and what happens when it burns during zombie fires.
Peat as a Carbon Sink: Peatlands store carbon from decomposed organic matter that accumulates in waterlogged and frozen conditions, preventing its release into the atmosphere.
Burning of Peat: When zombie fires ignite peat, the stored carbon is released as carbon dioxide and methane, contributing to global warming and disrupting the balance of the carbon cycle.
How does energy transfer through trophic levels in an Arctic ecosystem? Why is energy lost at each level?
Energy Transfer: Energy flows from primary producers (plants) to herbivores, then to carnivores, and finally decomposers.
Energy Loss: At each trophic level, only about 10% of energy is passed on. The rest is
Example of Energy Transfer and Loss In the Artic:
In the Arctic, plants capture solar energy, but only a small portion of this energy is transferred to animals like caribou and then to predators like wolves.
What is a positive feedback loop? Provide an example involving zombie fires and Arctic warming.
Positive Feedback Loop: A process where the effects of a change amplify the original change.
Example: Arctic warming melts permafrost, releasing greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. These gases trap more heat, causing further warming. Zombie fires exacerbate this loop by releasing stored carbon when peat burns, intensifying the warming effect.
How do human activities exacerbate the frequency and impact of zombie fires?
Increased Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Burning fossil fuels and deforestation increase atmospheric carbon dioxide, leading to higher global temperatures.
Climate Change Effects: Warmer Arctic conditions create drier peatlands, making zombie fires more frequent and harder to extinguish.
Land Use Changes: Human activities like mining and development disrupt natural ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to fires.
