Topic 2: Cycles and Patterns of Life

Question 1

30 year climate

Answer 1

is the 30 year average of a weather variable for a given time of year

Question 2

normal

Question 3

ammonification

Answer 3

the conversion of organic forms of nitrogen to ammonium, generally mediated by bacteria

Question 4

autotroph

Answer 4

an organism that can synthesize organic molecules using inorganic molecules and energy from either sunlight (photosynthetic autotrophs) or from inorganic molecules, such as hydrogen sulphide

Question 5

biochemical cycle

Answer 5

the internal redistribution of nutrients within an organism.
Time scale is very short, and occurs locally.

Question 6

biopedturbation

Answer 6

the mixing or disturbance of soil by living organisms, as opposed to disturbances of other media such as sediment or leaf litter

Question 7

biogeochemical

Answer 7

biotic + abiotic
exchange of chemicals within an ecosystem (closed system)

Question 8

cycle biome

Answer 8

a natural process in which elements are continuously cycled in various forms between different compartments of the environment

Question 9

carbon cycle

Answer 9

the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissues by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.

Question 10

climate diagram

Answer 10

a standardized form of representing average patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation that identifies several ecologically important climatic factors, such as relatively moist periods and periods of drought.

Question 11

decomposition

Answer 11

the breakdown of organic matter accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and other inorganic compounds; it is the key process in nutrient cycling

Question 12

denitrification

Answer 12

the conversion of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen, generally mediated by bacteria

Question 13

geochemical cycle

Answer 13

biotic and abiotic
- exchange between ecosystems (open cycle)

Question 14

gross primary productivtiy

Answer 14

the total amount of energy fixed by all the autotrophs in an ecosystem

Question 15

heterotroph

Answer 15

an organism that uses organic molecules both as a source of carbon and as a source of energy

Question 16

immobilization

Answer 16

the conversion of inorganic ions into organic compounds

Question 17

mineralization

Answer 17

the breakdown of organic matter from organic to inorganic form during decomposition

Question 18

net ecosystem productivity

Answer 18

represents the total amount of organic carbon in an ecosystem available for storage, export as organic carbon, or nonbiological oxidation to carbon dioxide through fire or ultraviolet oxidation

Question 19

nitrification

Answer 19

the conversion of ammonia to nitrate, generally mediated by bacteria

Question 20

nitrogen cycle

Answer 20

the series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition.

Question 21

nutrient cycling

Answer 21

the use, transformation, movement, and reuse of nutrients in an ecosystem

Question 22

nutrients

Answer 22

a chemical substance required for the development, maintenance, and reproduction or organisms

Question 23

primary production

Answer 23

the fixation of energy by autotrophs in an ecosystem

Question 24

primary productivity

Answer 24

a measure of plant growth rate, per unit area, per unit time. this is in contrast to standing biomass

Question 25

productivity

Question 26

respiration

Answer 26

a process in living organisms involving the production of energy, typically with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the oxidation of complex organic substances

Question 27

soil horizons

Answer 27

a distinct layer of soil, approximately parallel with the land surface, whose properties develop from the combined actions of living organisms and percolating water

Question 28

taiga/boreal forest

Answer 28

northern forests that occupy the area south of the arctic tundra. though dominated by coniferous trees, they also contain aspen and birch

Question 29

temperate forest

Answer 29

deciduous or coniferous forests are generally found between 40 degrees and 50 degrees of latitude, where annual precipitation averages anywhere from about 650 mm to over 3,000 mm; this biome receives more winter precipitation than temperate grasslands.

Question 30

temperate grassland

Answer 30

grasslands growing in middle latitudes that receive between 300 and 1000 mm of annual precipitation, with maximum precipitation usually falling during the summer months

Question 31

tundra

Answer 31

a northern biome dominated by mosses, lichens and dwarf willows, receiving low to moderate precipitation and having a very short growing season.