Biomes
Species Interactions
BioGeoChemical Cycles
Energy Flow
Important terms/figures to remember
100
Aspects that identify separate biomes and their distribution of resources: Bonus points for describing how those factors affect said biomes. (Hint: there are 6 factors)
What are Climate (affects what specific resources/organisms can grow/live),
Geography (a flat plain and a mountainous plain has variety),
Latitude (in relation to the equator),
Altitude (think of oxygen and temperatures),
Nutrient Availability (can a lot thrive with poor-quality land?),
and Soil Composition (some plants are unable to grow in soils with extreme levels of specific materials like clay and sand)?
100
Identify the difference between parasitism and predation.
Parasites feed off the host being alive, while predators eat the prey.
100
The largest sink in the Nitrogen cycle: bonus points on where (sequentially) this sink falls in the Nitrogen Cycle.
The Atmosphere;
Nitrogen gets to the atmosphere by denitrifying bacteria/Nitrogen gets to the ground/not air by nitrogen fixation bacteria.
100
what the heck is this, and what does it represent?
What is a Trophic Level Pyramid: Represents the food energy flow (aka calories) that progresses through the food chain?
100
NPP = GPP - R
What is this, what does each term represent, and what is this used for?
Productivity equation;
Net Primary Productivity: overall efficiency of the plants in an ecosystem, Gross Primary Productivity: energy stored by photosynthesis in plants, and Respiration: maintenance and reproduction of plants from the expended energy.
This equation is used to show the overall productivity of a system.
200
For saving the environment, trees aren't that important compared to this organism: _______
Identify where it lives and more importantly, explain what factors in that environment influence the efficiency of said organism.
Algae
Mainly lives in freshwater and marine ecosystems:
Salinity, Depth, Turbidity, Nutrient Availability, and Temperature.
200
Pictured below are a zebra shark and a remora (aka a suckerfish).
What type of interaction is this, and how does each organism benefit, get harmed, or stay the same with this relationship?
Commensalism.
Remora hitch a ride on the bodies of bigger fish such as sharks and eat the leftovers of the bigger fish. The shark is completely unaffected, while the remora gains transport and food from this interaction.
200
What makes the phosphorous cycle unique compared to the other biogeochemical cycles?
Bonus question: How have humans affected the phosphorous cycle, and what are the consequences of said effects?
A. The phosphorous cycle doesn't have residency time in the atmosphere.
B. Humans put phosphorous in fertilizer, which then can run off to lakes and rivers and cause Eutrophication. The excessive growth of algae throws off the balance of nutrient distribution, leading into mass death of other plant and animal life with algae overgrowth.
200
Explain the relationship between a food chain and a food web.
Food chains are one progression of energy within a specific part of a food web.
Food webs show the progression of energy within an entire ecosystem.
200
What are the two laws of thermodynamics, and how do they connect to energy flow in an ecosystem?
Law 1: Matter cannot be created nor destroyed (aka matter must be recycled within an ecosystem)
Law 2: When an energy transfer occurs, some of that energy is lost due to heat (aka it explains why predators have to eat more to get the same amount of calories than producers)
300
Identify what is happening in this image, and Explain why this event is important in regards to a specific marine biome.
Bonus points if you can name the biome
A whale fall is when a large animal's carcass reaches the seafloor. Because the seafloor is located in a biome where little to no energy is produced, a huge amount of food that falls in one area is a literal feast for all organisms that live in those areas.
300
What species interaction is depicted in this image and how does each organism benefit, get harmed, or stay the same in this relationship?
Predation. The bird hunted and killed the mouse so it could eat the mouse for its energy. The bird benefits by gaining energy, and the mouse gets harmed cause it gets killed.
300
Explain the process of fossil fuel formation, identify the largest residency area, and explain how the burning of fossil fuels creates an unbalance within the Carbon Cycle.
Dead phytoplankton sink to the bottom of the ocean, and with pressure and time, the carbon gets turned into a strong rock. The rock-version of carbon, aka fossil fuels, are the longest residency areas for carbon. The burning of fossil fuels upset the balance of the amount of carbon in our atmosphere because since there is an overabundance of Carbon, rapidly forcing more carbon into the atmosphere overwhelms the balance of atmospheric carbon.
300
What percentage of energy is lost through an energy transfer in a food chain, and what does this mean in regards to the relationship between predator, prey, and producer?
90% of energy is lost due to these transfers, making each trophic level require more food to gain the same amount of energy. Because of this, it is extremely difficult to maintain high populations at higher trophic levels. This is why there are so many smaller organisms such as plants and insects and so few top-tier predators like tigers and sharks.
300
Identify the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph.
Bonus points if you give examples
An autotroph creates its own energy from the sun, while heterotrophs are unable to create their own energy. Therefore, heterotrophs rely on consuming autotrophs to gain energy.
400
What does this diagram represent, and how is it used to differentiate between biomes?
Also, what biome is this?
By comparing a combination of temperature and rainfall, all biomes are unique in their sets of climate+temperatures.
This is a temperate rainforest biome.
400
What species interaction is depicted in the image below and which organism benefits, get harmed, or stays the same with this relationship?
These two kangaroos are Competing for limited resources such as food, shelter, or mates. The winner takes that resource for themselves, while the loser is left with no reward.
400
Name at least three sources of water for the water cycle, and explain how water moves from those sources throughout the cycle.
Evapotranspiration: water loss from plants
Evaporation: heated up water rises from water sources
Sublimation: happens slowly, but water changes from its ice form to a gas state without turning into a liquid
400
What would happen to an if a top predator was removed from an ecosystem, and what would be the effect of those changes?
Bonus points for providing an example
If a top tier predator were to suddenly vanish, then the population of the prey would spike due to dropped mortality rates. Because of this, they would have to eat more of the lower trophic levels, which could cause an imbalance between how much prey gets eaten by predators... etc.
400
BONUS QUESTION: who won yesterday's Vice Presidential Debate and what type of heterotroph are they?
(Hint: It's not who you think it is, and this isn't political don't worry)
THE FLY (just look at it, what a champ)
oh and it's an omnivore
