APES Unit 1

Community

all living organisms in an area

biome

an area that shares a combination of avg, yearly temp. & precipitation (climate)

10% rule

10% of the energy is transfered from one level to the next

Algae in an aquatic food chain convert solar energy into 93,000 kilocalories of plant tissue. Which of the following values best represents the amount of energy available for primary consumers in the food chain?

9,300 kilocalories

Algae in an aquatic food chain convert solar energy into 93,000 kilocalories of plant tissue. Which of the following values best represents the amount of energy available for secondary consumers in the food chain?

930 kilocalories

food web vs food chain

A food web consists of many food chains. A food chain only follows just one path as animals find food.

Which of the following best explains why terrestrial trophic pyramids usually do not have levels higher than tertiary consumers? A. Tertiary consumers are the largest organisms in an ecosystem and require the most space to survive B. Plants can only perform photosynthesis during the day, so tertiary consumers cannot get enough energy from consuming plants C. A large proportion of energy is lost as heat as it is transferred up the pyramid, so there is not enough energy available to support another level D. Tertiary consumers are often indicator species and are the first to be affected by environmental disturbances

A large proportion of energy is lost as heat as it is transferred up the pyramid, so there is not enough energy available to support another level

profundal

too deep for sunlight, no PS

Which of the following best describes a symbiotic relationship? A. Striped bass and bluefish eat the same variety of mackerel. B. Intestinal bacteria inhabit the gut of humans. C. Mountain lions feed on white-tailed deer. D. Marsupial animals carry their young in a pouch.

B - Both humans and bacteria benefit from this relationship.

Which of the following best describes the movement of energy in an ecosystem? A. Energy is constantly recycled by decomposers for use by producers. B. Energy is harnessed by producers, and available energy decreases with each trophic level transfer. C. Energy is absorbed by plants through water and soil and then moves up the food chain through consumers. D. Energy is magnified as it moves up the trophic levels, and tertiary consumers store the most energy in a food web.

B - Energy is harnessed from the sun by producers and is passed through trophic levels. The second law of thermodynamics explains how 90% of energy is lost between trophic levels.

Boreal Forest

Characterized by long, cold winters, cool-ish summers, moderate precipitation. AKA Taiga. Broad band across much of Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Scandinavia. Few species of evergreens, e.g. black spruce, dominates large stretches of forests. Forests develop in cooler, drier regions than temperate forests, experience long, cold winters, short cool summers. Soils typically nutrient-poor somewhat acidic. Season variation in day length, temperature, precipitation; organisms feed, breed in few, warm and wet months.

flow

Determines which plants & organisms can survive, how much O2 can dissolve into water

Temperate deciduous forest

Dominates landscape around central/south Great Lakes. Experience relatively stable precipitation throughout seasons. Characterized by broad-leafed trees that are deciduous, lose leaves each fall and remain dormant during winter. Soil generally fertile, biome usually consists of far fewer tree species than tropical rainforests.

Desert

Dry year-round. Not always hot, like Antarctica. Precipitation arrive in intense, widely spaced storm events. Temperature consistent, and above precipitation. This biome contains plants that are adapted to prevent water loss due to the low average rainfall and high temperatures year-round. Usually receive well under 25 cm of precipitation each year. Depending on rainfall, deserts vary on vegetation they support. Low humidity and little vegetation to insulate them from extreme temperatures. Water storage in plants. Nomadic desert birds.

second law of thermodynamics

Each time energy is transferred, some of it is lost as heat

first law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed

mangrove swamps

Estuary habitat along coast of tropical climates

Which of the following statements is true of aquatic biomes?

Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water. - Drinking water comes from water stored in freshwater biomes, not marine biomes.

Where is the majority of fresh water found on Earth?

Ice caps and glaciers

Temperate rainforest

Much precipitation, mossy and moist. Pacific northwest good example because of heavy rainfall. Coniferous trees e.g. cedars, spruces, hemlocks, Douglas fir grow very tall in biome, and ground shaded from sunlight and very dank. Moisture-loving banana slugs like the area. Soil fertile but susceptible to landslides and erosion if trees removed. Produce much lumber and paper, overharvesting is an issue

calculating PP

NPP = GPP - RL

tropical biomes

Near the equator and are all warm by vary in amount of precipitation - include tropical rainforests, savannahs, and tropical deserts.

Ecosystem

all living & nonliving things in an area (plants, animals, rocks, soil, water, air)

Five different species of warblers, seed-eating birds, live in the same species of conifer trees. All of the birds migrate to coniferous forests during the summer, and different species reside in different areas in the same tree. They feed on the seeds of the conifer trees, but the different species do not mate with each other. Which of the following best explains why the different warbler species can all have habitats in the same conifer trees?

Resource partitioning of the seeds reduces competition, and the five different species can live in the same tree. - The warblers are using the same resource (tree) in slightly different places, and since they are not feeding in the same place, this reduces competition.

food web

Shows how matter & energy flow through an ecosystem, from organism to organism

ecological efficiency

Some ecosystems are more efficient (higher NPP) than others

temperate grassland

Temperature differences between winter and summer become more extreme and rainfall diminishes. Too little precipitation for trees to grow. Temperature above precipitation, May and Mid-June to Sept. is dry season. Temperate grasslands are AKA Steppe or prairie. Great Plains west of the Mississippi.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The amount of energy (biomass) leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration

In a fish species, the number of eggs that hatch and survive for one year varies depending on the number of eggs that were produced. As the number of eggs produced increases past a threshold number, the survival rate of the offspring decreases. Which of the following statements best explains why only a limited number of offspring can survive in a fish population? A. Resource partitioning allows similar species to coexist in the same ecological community B. The number of fish surviving after one year is proportional to the number of eggs produced C. The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings D. More yearling fish survive beyond one year when there is an abundance of prey species present

The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis

calculating biomass and energy

To calculate biomass or energy available at the next level up, move the decimal place one spot to the left (or divide by 10)

temp.

Warmer water holds less dissolved O2 so it can support fewer aq. organisms

what factors lead to high NPP?

Water availability, higher temperature, and nutrient availability

temperate biome

a biome found in Eastern North America, Northeastern Asia, and Western and Central Europe, with four distinct seasons and 30-60 inches of rain

secondary consumer

animals that eat 1º consumers or herbivores (aka - carnivores & omnivores)

teritary consumer

animals that eat 2º consumers or carnivores & omnivores (aka - top/apex predators)

Primary Consumer

animals that eat plants (herbivores)

wetland

area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants

Estuaries

areas where rivers empty into the ocean

Parasitoids

ay eggs inside a host organism (parasitic wasps, bot fly)

Boreal Biome

biome is snow and cold in the winter with rain and warm summer. It is warm enough to melt all of the snow

Tropical Rainforest

biome is warm and wet, with little seasonal variation in temperature and frequent precipitation Found in Central and South America, SE Asia, W Africa. Dark, damp, lush vegetation, highly diverse biotic communities, much more species of animals than any other biome. Consist of many species of trees, hold many life forms including other plants. Very poor, acidic soils low in organic matter. Nutrients in the trees, vines, and other plants. Nutrient-poor soil therefore cannot support agriculture, and cleared lands recover.

True predators

carnivores (leopard & giraffe)

mutualism relationship example

coral reef and algae

open ocean

deep ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom

latitude

determines temp. & precip.

tundra biome

extremely cold and dry biome; known for its permafrost, mosses, lichens, caribou, and snowy owl

Euryhaline

fresh and salt water

Population

group of individuals of same species (elk herd)

tundra and boreal

higher lat. (60 f +)

depth

how much sunlight can penetrate

food webs show...

increase or decreases in pop. size of a given species impact the rest of the food web

primary productivity units

kcal/m^2/yr

Biome

large area with similar climate conditions that determine plant & animal species there (tropical rainforest)

Savanna

long dry seasons and is dominated by grasses, shrubs, and grazing animals Experience slight seasonal variation in temperature but much change in rainfall. Found in dry regions. precipitation arrives during wet/rainy seasons. Common herbivores on African savannas include zebras, gazelles, giraffes, and predators of these like lions and tigers.

benthic

murky bottom where inverts (bugs) live, nutrient-rich sediments

Examples of symbiotic relationships

mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

Individual

one organism (elk)

Predation (+/-)

one organism using another for energy source (hunters, parasites, even herbivores)

Competition (-/-)

organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter; limits pop. size

Herbivores

plant eaters (giraffe & tree)

respiration loss (rl)

plants use up some of the energy they generate via photosynthesis by doing cell. respiration (movement, internal transportation, etc.)

primary productivity

rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem. photosynthesis

Producers (plants)

really convert sun's light energy into chemical energy (glucose)

resource partitioning

reduce competition

Mutualism (+/+)

relationship that benefits both organisms (coral reef)

Commensalism (+/0)

relationship that benefits one organism & doesn't impact the other (birds nest in trees)

tropical cascade

removal or addition of a top predator has a ripple effect down through lower trophic levels

characteristics of aquatic biomes

salinity, depth, and water flow

littoral

shallow water w/ emergent plants

food chain

show one, linear path of energy & matter

salt marsh

sstuary habitat along coast in temperate climate

Lakes

standing bodies of fresh H2O (key drinking H2O source)

Symbiosis

sym = together | bio = living | osis = condition

intertidal zone

the narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide experiences a range of environmental conditions (including daily changes in sunlight, temperature, and water)

salinity

the saltiness of a body of water

the more productive a biome is....

the wider the diversity of animal life it can support (high. biodiv.)

Parasites

use a host organism for energy (mosquitoes, tapeworms, sea lamprey)

Spatial partitioning

using diff. areas of a shared habitat (diff. length roots)

Morphological partitioning

using diff. resources based on diff. evolved body features

Temporal partitioning

using resource @ different times, such as wolves & coyotes hunting @ different times (night vs. day)

what does it mean when an ecosystem has high PP?

usually more biodiverse (more div. of species)

limnetic

where light can reach, good for PS

benefits of wetlands

• They provide important spawning and nursery grounds for approximately two-thirds of the nation's shellfish and important commercial and sport species of marine fish. • They provide important rest areas for the millions of migrating birds every year.