LS 7B The Carbon Cycle: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Evolution

Which of the following factors likely contributed to the accumulation of O2 within Earth's atmosphere?

-the fact that oxygen is also cycled during the carbon cycle -the fact that photosynthesis releases O2 as a product -the fact that there is a slight "de-coupling" between photosynthesis and respiration -the evolution of cyanobacteria

If all of the tertiary consumers were removed from an environment, the associated food web (and thus the carbon cycle) would collapse.

False

The evolution of biodiversity on the planet can be linked to patterns in the carbon cycle over time.

True

food web

a map of the interactions that connect consumer and producer organisms within the carbon cycle; the movement of carbon through an ecosystem

carnivores

a monophyletic group of animals, including cats, dogs, seals and their relatives, that consume other animals

decomposer

an organism that breaks down dead tissues, feeding on the dead cells or bodies of other organisms -carbon returned to atmosphere through respiration

consumer

an organism that obtains the carbon it needs from growth and reproduction from the foods it eats and gains energy by respiring food molecules; heterotrophic organisms of all kinds that directly consume primary producers or consume those that do

primary producer

an organism that takes up inorganic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other compounds from the environment and converts them into organic compounds that will provide food for other organisms in the local environment -first biological reservoir for carbon once taken out of physical environment

biodiversity

biological diversity; the aggregate number of species, or, more broadly, also the diversity of genetic sequences, cell types, metabolism, life history, phylogenetic groups, communities, and ecosystems

photosynthetic species diversity

explained by structural and physiological adaptations to: -photosynthetic species subdivide the forest on the basis of light, water, and nutrient availability -climate and topography

primary consumers

herbivores, which consume primary (plant or algae) producers. sometimes called grazers -second biological reservoir for carbon and returns some carbon to surrounding air or water through respiration

consumer adaptations

locomotion, mouth and limb specialization, perception, and behavior to obtain food

secondary consumers

predators or scavengers that feed on primary consumers -continue transfer of carbon from reservoir to reservoir by eating primary consumers and returning some carbon through respiration

Which of the following organisms can incorporate atmospheric carbon directly into C6H12O6, thereby playing a major role in a food web?

primary producers

Which of the following statements explains how an oxygen-rich atmosphere was possible?

rates of oxygen consumption were lower than rates of photosynthesis

Decomposers are vital components of a food web because they:

return carbon (as CO2) to the atmosphere

community

the set of all populations found in a given place