Types of Ecosystems/ Water Cycle
What are the 3 main types of ecosystems?
Marine, Freshwater, and Terrestrial.
From the bottom to the top of the pyramid. Name the trophic levels
Decomposer, Primary producer, Primary Consumer, Secondary Consumer, Tertiary Consumer, etc...
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
Food chains look at direct interactions between individuals in their respective trophic levels. Linear relationship.
Food webs more accurately represent the energy transfer across the trophic levels. Shows all the trophic interactions within communities.
Identify one way in which carbon appears in the atmosphere.
The release of greenhouse gases includes carbon dioxide.
Why is nitrogen important to the plant kingdom?
Nitrogen serves as a source of nutrients that plants retain from the soil. Fertilizers most often nitrogen based compounds.
Can you give one example of a species population that can be found in a terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystem?
Terrestrial: Vultures, Tigers
Marine: Dolphins, corral
Freshwater: Frogs, some species of salmon
Identify an organism that is considered a primary producer. Define the role of that organism in the ecosystem.
Douglas Fir, these massive trees serve may also serve as a keystone species by providing a habitat and shelter for varies communities.
Why do all organism require energy?
Growth/development, reproduction, maintenance, and movement.
Why does all life release carbon?
Why would too much nitrogen be dangerous for life living in a water ecosystem?
Too much nitrates and nitrites can lead to a depletion of oxygen levels in a water system. This is where algal blooms can become dangerous because there is more nitrogen in the water to allow for an exponential growth of algae, exponential growth also means tons of nitrogen waste that nitrifying bacteria can't keep up with and algae block plant photosynthesis which effectively depletes oxygen.
How do glaciers contribute the water cycle?
A group of Andean condors are seen flying around a high plateau in the Peruvian Andes. They quickly descend to the ground as the encounter a dead alpaca. What is the trophic level of the Andean condors?
Decomposer/ Scavenger
Why does the natural environment participate in chemical recycling?
Because we have limited amount of resources, limited water, limited food, limited chemical compounds that are necessary for life to function. The only unlimited source of energy is the Sun.
Explain the carbon cycle in a step by step process. (Doesn't have to be in complete order)
Step 1: Plants take in CO2 from atmosphere and convert it to glucose by photosynthesis.
Step 2: Glucose converted into ATP via cellular respiration
Step 3: P. consumers eat plant matter, then they release CO2 by CR.
Step 4: S./T. consumers eat plant matter/ P. consumer they too also release CO2 via CR.
Step 5: Dead material/animal waste release CO2
Step 6: Decomposers consume dead material/animal waste, release CO2 by CR.
Step 7: Burning of fossil fuels and wood, release of CO2
To plant life, what is the difference between nitrates and nitrites?
Nitrates is the form of nitrogen that plants can actively consume and retain nutrients from. Nitrites is a form of nitrogen that plants can also consume. However, plants more often prefer prepackaged nitrates :)
How has human activity affected the natural water cycle?
The creation of dams and reservoirs has affected the water cycle due to their effectiveness in stopping the free flowing of rivers.
About 9,000 feel in elevation in the Cascade mountain range of the Pacific Northwest. A bald eagle spots a rabbit sprinting across the forest trying to get away from a coyote. Fortunately for the bald eagle, the eagle was able to eat once again after days of fasting. What is the trophic level of the bald eagle and coyote?
Tertiary Consumer
Why is the transfer of energy so inefficient?
As you move up the food chain and trophic levels, the amount of energy being consumed is about 10%. Ex: A lion would need to consume much more meat relative to the amount of plant matter that a wildebeest would have to eat in order to gain the same amount of energy. (Plant = 100% energy reserve, Wildebeest = 10%, Lion =1%)
Draw a diagram of the carbon cycle on the whiteboard.
IM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR REAL!
How do humans participate in the nitrogen cycle?
Humans participate in the nitrogen cycle most notability through the release of waste. Ammonia is excreted by the body through the form of urine.
Explain the oxygen cycle in a step by step process. (Doesn't have to be in complete order)
2. Water is evaporated from ocean, lakes, rivers.
3. Evapotranspiration takes place in trees (loss of H2O from the leaves)
4. Evaporated H2O becomes H2O vapor.
5. Water vapor practically become clouds and are then cooled and condense as they travel distances.
6. Precipitation from clouds.
7. Water then returns to the rivers, lakes, aquifers, ocean, ground, etc...
8. The remaining water then becomes run off and returns back into the ocean.
As a squirrel munches peacefully on acorns that it collected for the cold winter months a rattlesnake makes a surprise attack on the squirrel successfully consuming it. What is the trophic level of the rattlesnake and squirrel?
Secondary & Primary Consumers
Draw and explain on the whiteboard to the class the inefficiency of energy transfers.
OKAY BIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE!
Do you know the photosynthesis and cellular respiration equations?
Photosynthesis:
CO2+H2O + Sunlight ----> C6H12O6+O2
Cellular Respiration
C6H12O6+O2 --------> CO2+H2O + ATP
Explain the nitrogen cycle in a step by step process. (Doesn't have to be in complete order)
1. Nitrogen is present in the atmosphere and in the soil
2. N2 is taken from atmosphere by nitrogen fixing bacteria, converting it to ammonium via ammonification.
3. Decomposers, animal waste/decay releases ammonium too
4. Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonium into nitrites
5. Another type of nitrifying bacteria convert nitrites into nitrates that plants are able to use via assimilation
6. Denitrifying bacteria converts nitrates back into N2.