Species Interactions
Name an example of a predator-prey relationship.
Answers will vary (must be a predator eating a prey item)
Which terrestrial biome has the highest primary productivity?
Tropical rainforest
What are the 4 biogeochemical cycles?
1) carbon cycle
2) nitrogen cycle
3) phosphorus cycle
4) hydrologic (water) cycle
Why must nitrogen be "fixed"?
Grass --> Rabbit --> Fox --> Coyote
Which organism is the secondary consumer?
Grass is primary producer, rabbit is primary consumer, fox is secondary consumer, coyote is tertiary consumer
Name and describe the 3 types of symbiotic relationships.
1) mutualism: both species benefit
2) commensalism: one benefits, while other is neithers helped nor harmed
3) parasitism: one benefits and the other is harmed
What is the coldest and dryest biome?
Tundra
What is transpiration?
the evaporation of water from plants
In what process do plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
What is primay productivty and what unit is it measured in?
the rate of photosynthesis in a given area over time
kcal/m2/year (kilocalories per meter squared per year)
What is resource partitioning and how does it increase species survival?
Resource partitioning: sharing a resource by using it in different ways, different places or at different times
It can reduce the negative impacts of competition; allows for sharing instead
What are biomes and how are they characterized?
Large ecosystems that span across the globe; characterized by having similar plants/animals, climate, and precipitation
In what process do animals return carbon to the atmosphere?
Respiration
How do carbon molecules enter the soil?
Decomposition
What is the difference between gross and net primary productivity?
GPP: total rate of photosynthesis in a given area
NPP: rate of energy storage by photosynthesizers in a given area after subtracting the energy lost to respiration (what's left over after respiration)
NPP = GPP - R
Give an example of mutualism and describe it
Answers will vary
Which freshwater biomes have the highest primary productivity? Which marine biomes have the highest?
Freshwater: wetlands (marshes/swamps) due to warmth and high nutrients
Marine: coral reefs and estuaries
What percent of the atmosphere is made up of Nitrogen?
78%
Name 2 ways that nitrogen can be "fixed".
1) lightning
2) nitrogen-fixing bacteria
What is the 10% rule and what is an easy way to calculate the amount of energy as you move up each trophic level?
10% rule: in the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next, only 10% of the energy is passed on
Calculate: move the decimal to the left once for each time you move up a trophic level
Give an example of commensalism and describe it.
Answers will vary
Name 2 variables that determine the global distribution of nonmineral marine resources, such as fish.
1) salinity
2) depth
3) turbidity
4) nutrient availability
5) temperature
Name and describe 2 ways that humans have altered the carbon cycle.
1) burning fossil fuels for energy, which releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change
2) deforestation; also releases greenhouse gases
What is the main difference between the phosphorus cycle and the other cycles?
There is no gaseous form of phosphorus in the atmosphere
Describe some similarities and differences between food chains and food webs.
Food chains and food webs both demonstrate feeding relationships and energy flow. Food chains are simple, whild food webs are more complex, but also more realistic in terms of what is happening in ecosystems