Energy & Ecosystems
These are the non-living parts of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, and soil.
What are Abiotic Factors?
This biological process is a major carbon sink, taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to make food.
What is Photosynthesis?
These cylinders of ice are drilled from glaciers to help scientists see atmospheric gases from thousands of years ago.
What are Ice Cores?
This term describes the variety of different species living within an ecosystem.
What is Biodiversity?
This is the ability of an ecosystem to "bounce back" or return to equilibrium after a disaster.
What is Resilience?
This rule explains why there is significantly less energy available to a hawk than to the grass it eventually depends on.
What are Abiotic Factors?
These three processes are considered carbon sources because they add CO2 to the atmosphere.
What is Respiration, Combustion, and Decomposition?
This specific natural event, like Mt. Tambora, can cause a temporary period of global cooling.
What is a Volcanic Eruption?
This process describes how a toxin gets more concentrated as it moves up the food chain to top predators.
What is Biomagnification?
This type of succession occurs after a wildfire where the soil is still present.
What is Secondary Succession?
If a group of plants (Producers) has 45,000 Joules of energy, this is how much energy is available to the Secondary Consumers.
What is 450 Joules?
When the ocean absorbs too much CO2, it leads to this phenomenon which harms coral reefs and shelled organisms.
What is Ocean Acidification?
Scientists use these "natural rings" to determine the precipitation and temperature levels of a specific year in the past.
What are Tree Rings?
This is the difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
What is: Bioaccumulation happens in one organism over time; Biomagnification happens across the whole food chain?
This type of succession occurs on bare rock where no soil exists, such as after a volcanic eruption.
What is Primary Succession?
This biome is characterized by permafrost, extremely low temperatures, and very little precipitation.
What is the Tundra?
This is the role of a decomposer in the carbon cycle.
What is breaking down organic matter to return carbon to the soil and atmosphere?
This is the general historical relationship between greenhouse gas concentrations and global temperatures.
What is: As greenhouse gases increase, temperatures also increase / They are directly related?
In a food chain of Algae --> Minnow --> Salmon --> Bear, this organism will be most negatively impacted by a mercury leak.
What is the Bear?
Explain the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
What is: The higher the biodiversity, the more stable and resilient the ecosystem is?
Use the "Rule of 10" to explain why food chains rarely have more than 4 or 5 trophic levels.
What is: Because energy is lost as heat at each level, eventually there isn't enough left to support another population?
Predict the effect on the atmosphere if a massive tropical forest is cleared (deforested) and burned.
What is: Carbon sinks are removed and combustion adds a massive source of CO2, causing atmospheric levels to spike?
Based on ice core patterns, what happens to global temperatures when CO2 levels reach an all-time high?
They increase (or spike) because CO2 and temperature are directly linked.
Identify the three levels of biodiversity.
What are Genetic, Species, and Ecosystem/habitat diversity?
This type of succession occurs if a flood destroys a forest but leaves the soil behind.
What is Secondary Succession?