• Shuffle
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Alphabetize
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Front First
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Both Sides
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Read
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
Reading...
Front

Card Range To Study

through

image

Play button

image

Play button

image

Progress

1/26

Click to flip

Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;

Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;

H to show hint;

A reads text to speech;

26 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
the nature of ecology
ecology is a study of connections in nature
Which Species Run the World?
>Multitudes of tiny microbes such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and yeast keep us alive
*harmful microbes are the minority
*soil bacteria convert nitrogen gas to a usable form for plants
*they help produce foods (bread, cheese, yogurt, beer, wine)
*90% of all living mass
*Helps purify water, provide oxygen, breakdown waste.
*Lives beneficially in your body (intestines, nose)
Populations
>A population is a group of interacting individuals of the same species occupying a specific area
*habitat:
> Genetic Diversity
* In most natural populations individuals vary slightly in their genetic make up
The Earth's Life Support Systems
>The biosphere consists of several physical layers that contain:
*air
*water
*soil
*minerals
*life
Biosphere
>Atmosphere
*membrane of air around the planet
^Stratosphere
*lower portion of the atmosphere, contains the ozone
>Hydrosphere
*all the earths water
>Lithosphere
*earths crust and upper mantle
What sustains life on earth?
>Solar energy, the cycling of matter, and gravity sustain the earth's life.
What happens to solar energy reaching the Earth?
>Solar energy flowing through the biosphere warms the atmosphere, evaporates and recycles water, generates winds and supports plant growth.
Limiting Factors in Aquatic Ecosystems
>temperature
>sunlight
>dissolved oxygen
>nutrient availability
>salinity: cannot be greater than 6%
Producers: Basic source of all food
>most producers capture sunlight to produce carbohydrates by photosynthesis
Photosynthesis: A closer look.
>Chlorophyll molecules in the chloroplasts of plant cels absorb solar energy.
>This initiates a complex series of chemical reactions in which carbon dioxide and water are converted to sugars and oxygen.
Consumers: Eating and Recycling to Survive
>Consumers (heterotrophs) get their food by eating or breaking down all or parts of other organisms or their remains
*herbivores-->primary consumers
*carnivores--->secondary consumers and up
*omnivores>>both primary and secondary consumers
Decomposers and Detrivores
decomposers: Break down stuff
detrivores: consume waste, but dont break it down very much
Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration: Getting energy for survival
>Organisms break down carbohydrates and other organic compounds in their cells to obtain the energy they need.
>This is usually done through aerobic respiration.
*the opposite of photosynthesis
>Anaerobic respiration or fermentation:
*Some decomposers get energy by breaking down glucose (or other organic compounds) in the absence of oxygen.
*the end products vary based on the chemical reaction:
--methane gas
--ethyl alcohol
--acetic acid
--hydrogen sulfide
Two secrets of survival: ENergy Flow and Matter Recycle
> An ecosystem survives by a combination of energy flow and matter recycling
Factors That Increase Diversity:
>Physically Diverse Habitat
>Moderate amounts of disturbance
>Small variation in environmental conditions
>High diversity at one trophic level increases the diversity at another trophic level
>an environment highly modified by life
>Middle stages of succession
>Evolution
Biodiversity Loss and Species Extinction: Remember HIPPO
>H for Habitat destruction and degradation
>I for Invasive species
>P for pollution
>P for human population growth
>O for over-exploration
Why should we care about biodiversity?
>Biodiversity provides us:
-natural resources (food, water, wood, energy,medicine)
-natural services (air and water purification, soil fertility, waste disposal, pest control)
-Aesthetic pleasure
Energy Flow in ecosystems
>food chains and webs show how eaters, the eaten, and the decomposed are connected to one another in an ecosystem
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem: Losing energy in food chains and webs
>in accordance with the 2nd law of thermodynamics: there is a decrease in the energy efficiency every time energy is reconsumed
Productivity of Producers: The rate is Crucial:
>gross primary production (GPP)
-rate at which a producer converts solar energy into other energy
Net Primary Production (NPP)
>NPP= GPR - R
-reat at which producers use photosynthesis to store energy, minus the rate at which they use some of this energy through respiration.
Soil: A Renewable Resource
>Soil is a slowly renewed resource that provides most of the nutrients needed for plant growth and also helps purify water
>MATURE SOILS, or soils that have developed over a long time are arranged in a series of horizontal layers called soil horizons
Layers in Mature Soils
>Infiltration: the downward movement of water through soil
>Leaching: dissolving of minerals and organic matter in upper layers carrying them to lower layers
>the soil type determines the degree of infiltration and leaching
O and A horizons
>O horizon: leaf litter layer
> A horizon (topsoil): humus layer - decaying organisms
>Importance of these two layers
E, B, and C Horizons
>E Horizon: Leaching (eluviation)
>B Horizon: Subsoil- accumulates iron, aluminum, and organic compounds from above (illuviation)
> C Horizon:
Some Soil Properties
>Soils vary in the size of the particles they contain, the amount of space between these particles, and how rapidly water flows through them.