Ecological Relations
What is Biodiversity?
Variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms found in Earth’s terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems.
Greater biodiversity = high stability
Lower biodiversity = lower stability
What are the meanings of primary, secondary, and tertiary?
Primary: 1st
Secondary: 2nd
Tertiary: 3rd
What is the Carbon Cycle?
Cycle of carbon in ecosystems in which carbon dioxide is fixed by photosynthetic organisms to form organic nutrients and is ultimately restored to the inorganic state
Meaning of Symbiosis
A close, long-term association between the organisms of different species.
What are the definitions of Producers and Consumers?
Producer: Highest amount of energy/ Create the food.
Consumer: Lower amounts of energy the higher you go up the chain/ Take in the food.
What is the Nitrogen Cycle?
Nitrogen moves through both living and nonliving things; the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals, and bacteria
Why are some ecosystem more/less stable?
The ability of an ecosystem to be resistant to change and able to return to equilibrium after a disturbance.
Autotroph VS Heterotroph
Auto: Organism that can produce energy through sunlight, water, CO2, and other inorganic substances
Hetero: Organism that must eat the organic compounds to generate energy and survive
List 5 Processes that move Carbon
Photosynthesis - releases carbon from the atmosphere
Cellular respiration - releases carbon to the atmosphere
Burning fossil fuels - releases carbon to the atmosphere
Decomposition - releases carbon to the atmosphere
5. Carbon sinks - stores carbon in an ecosystem
What does Carrying Capacity mean?
The maximum population size of a species that can be sustained in a specific environment
What is the 10% Rule?
Approximately 10% of the energy is passed onto the next trophic level; the remaining 90% is lost as heat!
List 4 Carbon Cycle Disruptions and 3 Consequences
(Disruption) Deforestation
(Disruption) Grassland conversion
(Disruption) Urbanization
(Disruption) Combustion of fossil fuels
(Consequence) Acid rain
(Consequence) Smog
(Consequence) Greenhouse effect
Describe the 3 types of Survivorship Curves?
A graph that shows how many individuals in a population survive to each age.
DRAW NOW!
If a primary consumer goes extinct, what will happen to the tertiary consumer?
If there's a good enough explanation, give them the points!
Biomagnification
1. Toxins enter food chain
2. Concentration increases at higher trophic levels
3. Top predators accumulate highest toxin levels