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47 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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define biomass |
total mass of living plants, animals, fungi, bacteria in a given ecosystem |
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define energy flow |
energy flow is the flow of one organism to another. |
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how much energy is lost when transferred to another organism? |
approximately 90% |
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define decomposition |
the breaking down of organic wastes and dead organisms |
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define decomposer |
organisms that change wastes and dead organisms into usable nutrients |
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define biodegradation |
a living organism breaking down organic wastes and dead organisms |
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define food chain |
a model that shows the flow of energy from plant to animal |
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define trophic level |
what each stage in the food chain is called |
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what are the different trophic level's titles? |
1st = primary producers, second = primary consumers, second = secondary consumers, third = tertiary consumers, etc |
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define detrivore |
a consumer that obtains energy and nutrients by eating bodies of dead animals, dead plant matter, and animal wastes |
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define herbivore |
primary consumers that eat plants |
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define carnivore |
secondary consumers that eat primary consumers |
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define food web |
models of feeding relationships within an ecosystem |
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define food pyramid |
a model that shows loss of energy from on trophic level to another |
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define nutrient |
a chemical required for plant and animal growth |
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define stores |
a collection of nutrients accumulated for periods of time |
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how does carbon cycle? |
through photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition |
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where do carbon stores exist? |
in water and stores deep in the earth |
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where is the largest nitrogen store? |
in the atmosphere |
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where do nitrogen stores exist |
in the atmosphere, oceans, organic matter in soil |
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what is nitrogen fixation? |
the conversion of nitrogen gas into compounds that contain nitrate or ammonium |
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how is nitrogen fixed? |
through bacteria, lightning, or through industrial means |
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what happens during nitrification? |
ammonium in converted into nitrate |
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how is nitrogen returned to the atmosphere? |
through denitrification |
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what happens during denitrification |
denitrifying bacteria converts nitrate back into nitrogen gas |
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how are long-term nitrogen stores created? |
excess nitrate and ammonium settles to bottoms of oceans, lakes, or rivers in sediments |
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how is phosphorus stored? |
in phosphate, which makes up phosphate rock and ocean floor sediments |
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what does weathering do |
release phosphate into soil, where it is taken through plant roots |
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what is geologic uplift? |
the process of mountain building in which the earth's crust folds, resulting in deep rock layers rising and becoming exposed |
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how is phosphate on lake and ocean bottoms released? |
if stored in sediment on bottoms of oceans and lakes, through geologic uplift |
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how do humans release carbon into the environment |
predominantly through burning fossil fuels |
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by how much is the carbon in the atmosphere going to increase by the end of the century? |
approximately 3.4 times |
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how does clearing land affect the carbon cycle? |
it reduces carbon taken from the atmosphere by plants, as well as releasing any carbon stored in these plants into the atmosphere |
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by how much have human activities increased available nitrogen in the biosphere in the last 50 years? |
approx. 2x |
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which plant studied in this chapter flourishes in nitrogen-fixed environments? |
algae. nitrogen rich environments can cause it to produce a toxin which is toxic to all other biotic organisms nearby |
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what is an effect of too much phosphorus? |
possible kidney disease, as well as encouraging algae blooms |
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define bioaccumulation |
the accumulation of substances such as pesticides. |
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which trophic level is most affected by bioaccumulation? |
the highest trophic level, as it consumes other organisms which, in turn, have bioaccumulated the chemical itself |
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how can chemicals enter an organism |
through food, skin contact, or respiration |
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what can chemicals affect? |
the nervous system, the immune system, reproductive systems, rate of birth defects, |
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define biomagnificatoin |
the process in which chemicals accumulate but concentrate at each trophic level |
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where do chemicals bioaccumulate and biomagnify? |
in an organisms fat tissue, or plant tissue if the organism is a plant |
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define half-life |
the amount of time taken for the amount of a substance to decrease by half |
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how is chemical accumulation measured? |
in ppm, which is parts per million |
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define heavy metal |
a metallic element with a high density that are toxic even at low concentrations |
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at what rate to heavy metals degrade? |
they do not degrade |
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how does one destroy a heavy metal |
they cannot be destroyed |
