APES Chapter 3
for every increase/decrease of 1 on the pH scale, the change is equal to an increase/decrease of ______ times
10
what is the 10% rule
10% of energy is lost at each level of the pyramid (100 kg clover ---> 10 kg rabbit ---> .1 kg fox)
What process of the nitrogen cycle changes nitrogen forms
nitrification
What process of the nitrogen cycle is when N2 becomes part of the ground?
nitrogen fixation
what is produced when burning fuel or forests?
nitrous oxide
Where do nitrogen-fixing bacteria live?
nodules
compared to the other cycles, is the phosphorus cycle fast or slow?
slow
trophic level
an organisms feeding status in a food web
secondary consumer
animals that eat both animals/plants
herbivores
animals that eat plants (primary consumers)
What process of the nitrogen cycle eats with nitrogen
assimilation
The nitrogen cycle is a _________________ cycle
atmospheric
the carbon cycle is a _________________ cycle
atmospheric
What organisms do nitrogen fixation?
bacteria
photosynthesis ________ energy, while cellular respiration ___________ energy
captures, releases
What can occur in the dark?
cellular respiration
what can occur in light?
cellular respiration and photosynthesis
where does photosynthesis occur?
chloroplasts
What is net primary productivity (NPP)?
total amount of carbon fixed by organisms into living tissue minus that used for respiration over a period of time.
What is Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
total amount of carbon that was fixed by organisms over a period of time
forming bonds _______ energy; breaking bonds __________ energy
uses, releases
food web
interconnected food chains, and most consumers have multiple food sources
why is photosynthesis described as primary productivity?
it is the basis for all other growth in an ecosystem
food chain
linked feeding series
what are the four major categories of organic compounds?
lipids carbohydrates proteins nucleic acids
what is secondary productivity?
manufacture of biomass by organisms that eat plants
What is the largest reservoir of carbon?
sedimentary rocks (limestone)
what powers evaporation, precipitation, and transpiration?
the sun
why is solar energy essential?
-warmth -photosynthesis
What process of the nitrogen cycle has organisms produce waste with nitrogen
ammonification
What is the equation for photosynthesis?
6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy = C6H12O6 + 6O2.
water in the soil reacts with ammonia to form ___________
ammonium ion (NH4+)
equation for cellular respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 -----> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy
C in glucose is moved to C in _____________ by cellular respiration
CO2
What is the 1st law of thermodynamics?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed
What is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
Every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe.
What is eutrophication?
Excessive nutrients in a water body causing overgrowth of algae.
what is released from decomposition of fertilizer and waste?
N2O
Formula for NPP
NPP = GPP - R
What is chemosynthesis?
When organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
what is assimilation?
absorption of ammonia, ammonium ion, nitrate for use by plants to make nucleic acids, proteins
nitric acid, when dissolved in water causes _____________
acid rain
Free Nitrogen in the atmosphere is fixed by nitrogen fixing bacteria into _________
ammonia (NH3)
C in organic molecules is moved to C in carbon dioxide by _________________
combustion
what changes organic molecules with phosphorus back into phosphate
decomposition
what is ammonification?
decomposition process that converts organic nitrogen into ammonia (NH₃)
What process of the nitrogen cycle brings nitrogen back into the atmosphere
denitrification
What are all of the steps of the water cycle?
evaporation transpiration condensation precipitation runoff infiltration percolation
what is matter?
everything that has mass and takes up space
Plants and animals can't use free nitrogen gas in the atmosphere, they must have _____________ nitrogen
fixed
C in organic molecules in organisms is moved to C in _________________ over millions of years by pressure, heat, and bacterial action
fossil fuels
what does glucose serve as?
fuel for all metabolic processes
C in CO2 in atmosphere and in H2O is moved to C in _______________ by photosynthesis by producers
glucose
energy is lost as ________ in metabolic processes
heat
The phosphorus cycle is a ________________ cycle
sedimentary
carbon is required for formation of _____________ compounds in living things
organic
decomposers
organisms that recycle dead bodies and remove waste
what four elements make up 96% of the mass of living organisms?
oxygen carbon hydrogen nitrogen
C in limestone is released slowly to C in CO2 when exposed to ___________________
oxygen and/or water
what is a carbon sink?
parts of a cycle that remove/store CO2 from the atmosphere
What is denitrification?
performed by bacteria and fungi and break down nitrates in soil to release nitrogen in atmosphere.
what is nitrogen a limiting factor for?
primary productivity
what is productivity?
the amount of biomass produced in a given area during a given period of time
What is the second largest reservoir of carbon?
the ocean
what is ecology?
the study of the relationship between organisms and their enviornment
how is phosphate on land and in oceans released?
weathering
When is an ecosystem said to have high net primary productivity?
when the ecosystem has an abundant supply of sun and water (ex. coral reefs, rainforests)