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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Energy Flows Energy Flow |
moves through the components of an ecosystem in a one way path |
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Energy Flow Path Energy Flow |
Sun -> producers (autotrophs) -> primary consumers (heterotrophs) -> secondary consumers (heterotrophs) -> tertiary consumers |
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Food Web vs. Food Chain Energy Flow |
-A network of interconnecting food chains -The sequence of food transfer up the trophic levels |
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Trophic Levels Energy Flow |
Each of the hierarchy levels of a community |
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Trophic Structure Energy Flow |
of a community is a pattern of feeding relationships consisting of several different levels |
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Energy Pyramids Energy Flow |
An ecological pyramid that shows the flow of energy -from producers to primary consumers |
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Biomass Pyramid Energy Flow |
diagram showing total biomass at each trophic level |
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Pyramid of Numbers Energy Flow |
diagram showing number of organisms at each trophic level |
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10% Rule Energy Flow |
Only about 10% of the energy stored at each trophic level is available to the next level |
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Water Cycle Chemical Cycles |
evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, percolation, sublimation (& desublimation) |
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Transpiration Chemical Cycles |
water evaporating off leaves of plants |
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Condensation Chemical Cycles |
water that collects on a cold surface when in contact with humid air |
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Percolation Chemical Cycles |
water getting filtered through porous substances |
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Sublimation Chemical Cycles |
when solid water (ice) melts and becomes liquid water |
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Desublimation Chemical Cycles |
When gas water becomes a solid |
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Factors Affecting Water Cycle Chemical Cycles |
Deforestation Household use of water |
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Carbon Cycle Chemical Cycles |
Respiration - returns CO2 to the atmosphere |
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Human Influences on Carbon Cycle Chemical Cycles |
Affected by deforestation |
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Nitrogen Cycle Chemical Cycles |
Cycle driven by four processes carried out by bacteria: |
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Nitrogen Cycle: Define Nitrogen Fixation and Nitrification Chemical Cycles |
Nitrogen fixation - converts N2 to ammonia (nitrogen compound) that can be used by plants |
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Nitrogen Cycle: Define Denitrification and Decomposers Chemical Cycles |
Denitrification - Converts nitrates into atmospheric nitrogen (N2) |
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Nitrogen Abiotic Reservoirs Chemical Cycles |
The atmosphere - about 80% of nitrogenous gas Soil |
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Nitrogen Is A Limiting Factor For What Chemical Cycles |
A limiting plant nutrient |
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Phosphorus Chemical Cycle doesn't have what component that the others do? Chemical Cycles |
An atmospheric phase |
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Phosphorus Chemical Cycle Chemical Cycles |
Phosphorus is in rocks. Rocks become weathered and break down into smaller and smaller pieces. Rocks are absorbed by plants b/c the rocks are now soil. Animals eat the plants and die and the decomposers eat the animals. The decomposers than die and the phosphorus goes into the soil. The soil then goes into a body of water where it becomes a rock and is uplifted out of the body of water. |
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In aquatic ecosystems, primary production is limited by low nutrient levels of: Chemical Cycles |
Phosphorus and nitrogen |
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Standing water ecosystems may experience eutrophication (define) Chemical Cycles |
increased primary productivity in aquatic ecosystem due to large increase in limiting nutrients |
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Main Nutrient Cycles + Definition of Nutrient Chemical Cycles |
Nutrient - essential to life 3 main nutrient cycles: Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Carbon |
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Examples of Freshwater Ecosystems and Marine Ecosystems Aquatic Ecosystems |
Freshwater: Ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands Marine: oceans (saltwater), estuaries, salt marshes, mangrove swamps |
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Marine Ecosystem: Oceans Aquatic Ecosystems |
-Largest and most stable biome |
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Intertidal Zone Aquatic Ecosystems |
Harsh, extreme conditions - Intertidal Time-Lapse |
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Coastal Ocean + what types of sea life do they have Aquatic Ecosystems |
Low tide to edge of continental shelf |
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Coastal Ocean Aquatic Ecosystems |
Biologically diverse ecosystems - "marine equivalent of tropical rain forests" |
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Open Ocean - Pelagic (Photic and Aphotic Zone) Aquatic Ecosystems |
In photic zone - phytoplankton = producers (eaten by zooplankton) |
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Marine Benthic Zone + ... Vents Aquatic Ecosystems |
Ocean bottom - From low tide through open ocean |
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Marine - Estuaries |
Estuary - area where streams and rivers met and empty into ocean water |
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Freshwater Stats + Standing vs. Moving Aquatic Ecosystems |
Covers less than 1% of planet |
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Freshwater: Lakes and Ponds |
Ponds - typically shallow enough for rooted plants |
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Freshwater: Rivers and Streams (What's it like at the source and downstream) |
Flowing/moving water |
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Wetlands Aquatic Ecosystems |
Wetland - ecosystem in which water covers the soil or is present at/near the surface for part of the year (ex. marsh, swamp, bog) |
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Community Interactions: Interspecific Competition Communities |
Occurs when the niches of two populations overlap |
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Competitive Exclusion Principle Communities |
No two species can occupy the exact same niche in the exact same habitat at the exact same time |
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Predation Communities |
Interaction where one species (predator) kills and eats the other species (prey) |
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Herbivory Communities |
Interaction where one species eats plant parts or algae |
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Symbiotic Relationship Communities |
Interaction where species live closely together (one species lives in or on the other) |
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Mutualism |
Both organisms benefit from interaction (+/+) relationship |
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Parasitism and Pathogens |
A parasite lives on or in a host from which it obtains nourishment -ex. ticks, tapeworms, mosquitos, aphids Disease causing microscopic parasites
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Commenalism |
One organism benefits, the other is unaffected (+/0) relationship |
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Ecological Succession |
Process of predictable changes to a community over time in response to a disturbance -"rebuilding" of a community Results from colonization by a variety of species, which are replaced by a succession of other species |
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Primary Succession |
Community arising in a virtually lifeless area with no soil -Forms in a previously unoccupied area
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Examples of Primary Succession |
Islands created by volcanos; land exposed by receding glacier |
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Essential/Main Characteristic of Primary Succession |
Soil building Soil develops as: rocks breaks apart and organic matter from dead remains of pioneer species accumulates |
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Secondary Succession |
Occurs when a disturbance destroys an existing community but leaves the soil intact |
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Examples of Secondary Succession |
Ex. Fire damage, abandoned farmland |
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Climax Community |
In both primary and secondary succession, the final, stable community |
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Disturbances |
Disturbances are a prominent feature of most communities |
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Invasive Species Communities |
Organisms that have been introduced into non-native habitats by human actions |
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Population Density Populations |
the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volume |
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Dispersion Pattern |
the way individuals are spaced within their area |
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Clumped Dispersion Pattern |
Individuals are grouped in patches |
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Uniform Dispersion Pattern |
Individuals equally spaced in the environment |
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Random Dispersion Pattern |
Individuals are spaced in an unpredictable way |
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Life Tables |
track survivorship, the chance of an individual in a given population surviving to various ages |
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Survivorship Curves |
Plot survivorship as the proportion of individuals from an initial population that are alive at each age 3 Main Types of Survivorship Curves: Type I, II, III |
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K Selected Traits |
Raise fewer offspring |
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R Selected Traits |
Produce more offspring |
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Population Growth Depends On... |
Number of births |
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Exponential Growth |
Rate of population increase under ideal conditions |
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Logistic Growth |
Idealized population growth that is slowed by limiting factors as the population size increases G=rN [(K-N) ÷ K] |
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Carrying Capacity |
The maximum population size a particular environment can sustain |
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Density Dependent Factors |
Result in declining births and increasing deaths as population density increases -Space, food, intraspecific competition, disease, retreats for safety, predation |
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Density Independent Factors |
Factors unrelated to population density -Fires, storms, habitat destruction by human activity, seasonal changes in weather |
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Demography |
study of the characteristics of the human population |
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Demographic Transition |
Is the shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates |
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Age Structure |
Proportion of individuals in different age groups |
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Age Structure Diagram |
Often used to predict population growth |
