Energy Flow
What is the first law of thermodynamics, as it applies to ecosystems?
What is/are the key difference(s) between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis?
photosynthesis uses sunlight, while chemosynthesis uses chemical energy
What is the name of the concept that explains why only 10% of energy is transferred between trophic levels?
"Rule of 10"
What is indicated by arrows in a food web?
The flow of energy from the source to the recipient
What is the main difference between the carbon and phosphorus cycles?
The phosphorus cycle has no gaseous phase
What is the primary source of energy for almost all life on Earth?
The sun
What is the BALANCED chemical equation for photosynthesis?
6CO2+6H2O+light→C6H12O6+6O2
What is the type of organism found at the first trophic level?
Producers
What is the purpose of a food web?
Showing complex feeding relationships in an ecosystem
What is a human activity that impacts the carbon cycle?
Burning fossil fuels
What is the process plants use to convert radiant energy into chemical energy?
Photosynthesis
What is the process of creating ATP as useable energy?
Cellular Respiration
What is the role of decomposers in trophic levels
Break down / recycle nutrients
What is the main purpose of a food chain?
Showing how energy flows through a linear sequence of organisms
What is the hydrologic cycle’s role in ecosystems?
Moving water
1) What is albedo (200), and how has it been affected by climate change? (200)
The reflectivity of Earth's surface, reduced by melting ice
Why are plants called autotrophs?
They make their own food
What is the type of organism usually found at the fourth or fifth trophic level?
Tertiary consumer
What is the reason food webs are more accurate than food chains?
Represent multiple feeding relationships
What is nitrogen fixation?
Converting nitrogen gas into usable forms?
What happens to energy as it moves through trophic levels
Energy loss as heat
CO2 + 4 H2S + O2 --> CH2O + 4 S + 3 H2O
What is the main implication of the second law of thermodynamics for trophic levels?
Less energy is available at higher trophic levels
What is the reason top predators are often the most vulnerable in a food web?
They rely on energy from all lower levels
What is the role of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle?
nitrogen fixation AND denitrification