Ecology Cards
What are producers?
autotrophs
What are photoautotrophs?
autotrophs that use the energy of light (photon) to produce organic molecules are called photoautotrophs
How does water vapor in the clouds become precipitation?
condensation
What is a biosphere?
consists of the living and nonliving parts of the planet. (Made of all biomes) 1. The biosphere contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water and air or atmosphere.
What are biogeochemical cycles?
cycles that allow matter to be recycled through the environment because biological systems do not use up matter, they transform it. *Water cycle is not considered to be a biogeochemical cycle
What is detritus?
dead plant remains in the soil.
Once nitrogen is used by plants, and then animals on earth, how is nitrogen returned to the atmosphere?
denitrification
What converts nitrates back into nitrogen gas and returns nitrogen to the atmosphere?
denitrification
What are the main autotrophs on land?
plants
What are biomass pyramids?
represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level.
Once carbon is used by living things on earth, how is it returned to the atmosphere?
respiration, burning, and decaying
What are consumers?
(heterotrophs) an organism that are able to get their food from other sources (Hetero-other; troph-food source)
What autotrophs use photosynthesis?
The best known autotrophs are (photoautotrophs) those that harness solar energy through a process known as photosynthesis. 1. Photosynthesis (photo-light; synthesis- to make)
How does phosphorous get into the soil?
When it rains, the phosphates and other minerals are removed from the rocks (by weathering) and distributed in soils and the water all over the planet.
Once phosphorous is used by organisms, how does nitrogen return back to rock?
When the plants and animals die it is returned to the soil as they decay, and once in the soil, phosphorous can be reabsorbed by new plants or it can wash into rivers, lakes and streams where it is incorporated into rock. Once rocks are uplifted the weathering process releases phosphate back into the soil starting the process all over again.
What is the longest biogeochemical cycle?
phosphorous cycle- takes millions of years
Wat is the main way carbon gets to earth from the atmosphere?
photosynthesis
What are the main autotrophs in water, and on the upper sunlit layers of the ocean?
phytoplankton
What are examples of chemoautotrophs?
Certain types of bacteria that live deep in the ocean in total darkness near hydrothermal vents; vent bacteria
What are chemoautotrophs?
Chemoautotrophs- autotrophs that use the energy of inorganic chemicals to make their own food and can produce food in the absence of light.
Why do living things need phosphorous?
Living things need phosphorus to make nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) because they have a sugar, phosphate, and a base (CHONP).
What are zooplankton?
Microscopic organisms that feed on phytoplankton. (zoo-animal)
How do plants get nitrogen?
Plants must get their nitrogen in "fixed" form, like incorporated in compounds such as: nitrate ions (NO3−) ammonia (NH3)
What are examples of photoautotrophs?
Plants, algae and other protists, and some prokaryotes (bacteria)
What are marine biomes?
the oceans; saltwater; 75% of the planet's surface is ocean
What is ecology
the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Together what do biotic and abiotic factors determine?
the survival and growth of an organism and the productivity of the ecosystem
What is biomass?
the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.
What is transpiration?
water evaporated from plants
How much of earth's oxygen are phytoplankton responsible for?
78%
What are energy pyramids?
shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level.
What are pyramids of numbers?
shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level
What is a threatened species?
species likely to become endangered if the factors affecting its vulnerability do not become reversed.
What are tertiary consumers?
the animal that eats the animal that ate the animal that ate the plant (eats secondary)
What are producers?
(autotrophs) an organism that uses energy to make its own food
What are some examples of commensalism?
***1. Ex. Barnacles attach themselves to the skin of a whale. The barnacle benefits by being transported to new sources of food. ***2. Ex. Remora sharks are endowed with an adhesive disk on the dorsal surface of their heads. ***3. Ex. Epiphytes are plants that live perched on sturdier plants. They do not take any nourishment from their host and simply benefit from being better exposed to sunlight. ***4. Ex: many orchids and bromeliads, like spanish moss and other members of the pineapple family
What are some examples of mutualism?
***1. Ex. Flowers being pollinated by insects or hummingbirds ***2. Ex. Protozoan that lives in the termite's gut. ***3. Ex. Small fish that clean the shark's teeth is another example of mutualism. ***4. Ex. relationship between clownfish that dwell among the tentacles o3f the sea anemones. ***5. Ex. nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria and plant roots called rhizobium.
What are limiting factors?
1. **Two factors that limited the resources: the climate and the density. 1. Limiting factors- factors that have the greatest effect in keeping down the size of a population.(dependent and independent) 2. Parasitism and Disease 1. Parasites and disease can spread more quickly through dense populations. 2. The more crowded an area becomes, the easier it is for parasites or disease to spread. 3. The parasites or disease can then cause the size of a population to decrease
What is the 10% rule?
1. 10% Rule - states that only 10% of the energy is passed to the next trophic level. 1. 90 % is used up by the organisms at each trophic level and each level can only harvest about 1/10th of the energy from the level below it
What are consequences to ozone holes?
1. A hole was discovered in the Ozone layer above Antarctica in 1985. 2. The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere protects life on Earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays in sunlight. 1. Because studies indicated that CFCs were depleting the ozone layer, a multinational agreement was reached in 1987 to phase out the use of these chemicals. 2. However, even if CFC use stopped today, quantities of these chemicals already in the air would continue to deplete the ozone layer—possibly to dangerously low levels—for decades. 3. It is suspected that a variety of biological consequences such as increases in skin cancer, damage to plants, and reduction of plankton populations in the ocean's photic zone may result from the increased UV exposure due to ozone depletion
What are abiotic factors? Ex?
1. Abiotic factors - the nonliving parts of the ecosystem 1. Rainfall, sunlight, rocks, water, wind, temperature, humidity, soil, nutrients, air
What are effects of acid rain?
1. Acid rain decreases pH levels in lakes and streams which threatens water supplies and species habitat. 2. Acid rain can cause a decline in growth rate (decreases pH of soil interfering with uptake of minerals). 3. Can cause leaves and bark to break down more quickly and make trees more vulnerable to disease and weather.
What are the major threats to biodiversity?
1. Alteration of habitats 2. Introduction of non-native species 3. Overexploitation (over harvesting, over hunting, over fishing)
What is the aphotic zone?
1. Aphotic zone - deeper part of the pelagic zone (deeper than 600 feet) begins where there is no sunlight. 2. Has cold water temperatures and high pressure 3. The most extensive part of the biosphere. 4. Generally, less rich in life forms as the photic. 5. * Many different animals are adapted to the various characteristics of the ocean depths. 6. *There are no photosynthetic organisms in the aphotic zone. *Some fish have no eyes or have developed luminescent organs. (grenadier fish, eels, lantern fish)
What is ecological succession?
1. Ecological Succession- a series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time. 1. Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances. 2. As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitant gradually die out and new organisms move in, causing further changes in the community. 1. A climax forest destroyed by wildfire Its eventual recovery, and it ends when the climax community is reached. (can happen in ponds and glacier melts)
What are Technology and Human Populations?
1. As humans have modified their environment through agriculture, transportation, medical advances, and sanitation, the carrying capacity of Earth has greatly increased. 2. Technologies developed by humans have allowed Earth to support many more people than Malthus could ever imagine. 3. For Example: 1. Gas powered farm equipment (as opposed to human and animal power) 2. Plumbing to bring in freshwater and remove human wastes from the home 3. Electricity/ gas have all allowed for human growth. 4. Transportation to move food and materials all over the globe. 4. Other Examples of why carrying capacity has increased: 1. Medical advances (infant mortality rates have dropped steadily over last 70 years) 2. In 1940 more than 40 infants died for every 1000 births 3. In 2002 only 7 infants for every 1000 births 4. Development of antibiotics and antiseptic cleaners have greatly reduced spread of disease
What is the australian rabbit?
1. Australian land owner brought 24 European rabbits to the country for the purpose of sport hunting. 2. The rabbits were introduced into an area that had abundant food and space and no predators fast enough to catch. 3. The initial population of 24 grew exponentially and spread across the country. 4. After many attempts to control the population, today there are between 200 million and 300 million rabbits in Australia.
What is biodiversity?
1. Biodiversity- the diverse world of living things—the wide array and assortment of species that are found in any ecosystem 1. A decrease in an ecosystem's biodiversity will have a ripple effect through the entire 2. ecosystem, affecting all species. 3. Biodiversity is the foundation of much of our world. 4. Nearly 1⁄2 of all our prescribed medicines are derived from plants. The loss of biodiversity has long term effects. 5. A loss of biodiversity can reduce an ecosystem's stability and make it more difficult for the ecosystem to handle future change. 6. Example: As the nation of Sri Lanka has modernized, the natural resources of the island have become increasingly depleted. 1. -95% of the island's rainforest have been lost, and with them more than 19 different frog species have gone extinct. 7. Biodiversity is the highest in the rainforest biomes of the world, and it is these areas that are most threatened. 8. Currently about 1% of this biome is lost each year to logging or to clearing for agriculture use. 9. Preserving the rain forests of the world will do a great deal to protect and preserve the biodiversity of our planet.
What are effects of Biomagnification?
1. Biomagnification has the most serious effect on species near the top of the food chain. 1. Example the beluga whale is a top predator that lives in cold ocean water and feeds on a variety of fish species. 1. Studies of a beluga whale population in eastern Canada have shown such extreme levels of toxic chemicals that some whale carcasses have been treated as hazardous wastes. 2. As top level consumers, humans can also be affected by biomagnification. 1. Scientists have recently found small amounts of PCB's in the blood of newborn babies. 2. Exposure to fat-soluble toxins such as PCBs during pregnancy and nursing can be dangerous to the developing fetus, and may also affect growth and development in young children.
What is bioremediation?
1. Bioremediation- any process that uses microorganisms, fungi, green plants or their enzymes to return the natural environment altered by contaminants to its original condition. 1. Bioremediation may be employed to attack specific soil contaminants, such as degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons by bacteria. 2. An example of a more general approach is the cleanup of oil spills by the addition of nitrate and/or sulfate fertilizers to facilitate the decomposition of crude oil by indigenous or exogenous bacteria.
What are biotic factors? Ex?
1. Biotic factors - the living parts of the ecosystem the ecologicalcommunity 1. Protists, all animals, fungi, all bacteria, all plants
What are carnivores? Examples?
1. Carnivores - (carn- meat) obtain energy by eating meat. 1. Ex. snakes, wolves, owls
What is carrying capacity?
1. Carrying capacity- the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that the environment can normally and consistently support. 1. Carrying capacity can change when the environment changes. 2. Ex. grasshoppers in a field—burn field and its carrying capacity declines. 3. Rain comes and grows grass back and its carrying capacity increases. 2. Actual population size is usually higher or lower than the carrying capacity. 1. Populations will rise and fall as a result of natural changes in the supply of resources. 2. In this way, the environment naturally controls the size of population. 3. When the carrying capacity for a population suddenly drops, the population experiences a crash.
What is an endangered species?
1. Endangered Species- species in immediate danger of becoming extinct 1. The loss of even a single species can harm the overall stability of an island ecosystem.
What is competition? Ex?
1. Competition- what occurs when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place. 1. Ex. competing to mate, get water, get food, have shelter
What are ozone compounds?
1. Compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) such as freon used as refrigerants and as propellants in aerosol cans, releases chlorine when they break down. 2. Rising to the upper atmosphere the chlorine reacts with ozone (O3) gas, reducing it to O2 gas.
What is a coniferous forest?
1. Coniferous Forest- trees produce cones instead of flowers in order to reproduce. 1. Do not shed leaves in fall. 2. Leaves are needle-like so snow won't be heavy on the branches.
What are decomposers? Examples?
1. Decomposers - break down organic matter 1. Ex. Bacteria and fungi
What is deforestation?
1. Deforestation- when forests are converted to non-forest areas for urbanization, agriculture, and other reasons without sufficient reforestation 1. It is the permanent destruction of forests and woodlands. 2. Along with this destruction is the extinction of many species, heavy soil erosion, greenhouse effect, silting of rivers and dams, flooding, landslides, desertification, degraded watershed, and even destruction of corals along the coast. 3. After several harvests of the forest the cleared land is no longer suitable for planting trees.
What are density independent limiting factors?
1. Density Independent Limiting Factors —are factors that affect a population's growth regardless of its density. 1. For example: Unusual Weather 2. Lack of southerly winds can prevent nutrient poor warm water from being replaced as it normally is, with nutrient rich cold water. 1. Lack of nutrients in the water will prevent phytoplankton from growing in their usual large numbers. 2. That means that zooplankton, tiny organisms that feed on phytoplankton will have smaller populations. 3. The effects are felt all the way up the food chain, with smaller populations of fish and birds 4. For example: Natural Disasters 1. volcanoes, tsunamis, tornados and hurricanes can wipe out 2. populations regardless of density. 6. For example the large wave of a tsunami can damage fragile coral reefs, knock down entire mangrove forests and destroy sea turtle nesting beaches. 1. Damaged coral 8. For example: Human Activities 1. Destruction of a wetland habitat along the Platte River in Nebraska has threatened an important feeding ground for the sandhill crane. 2. Urbanization in the area is depleting the resources these migratory birds need during their trek to nesting grounds in northern Canada and in Alaska. 10. For example: Human Activities 1. By clearing forests, filling wetlands and polluting the air, land and water, humans threaten habitats and the organisms that live in them.
What are Density Dependent Limiting Factors?
1. Density dependent limiting factors —limiting factors that are affected by the number of individuals in a given area. 2. Examples include: 1. Competition- members compete for resources like food and shelter; as resources are used up it limits how large a population can grow 2. Predation - the population of a predator can be limited by the amount of prey available and the population of a prey can be limited by being caught for food. 3. Ex. As the moose population grows, so does the wolf population. 1. At a certain point the wolves eat so many moose that there are not enough left to feed all the wolves. 2. The result is then a decline in the wolf population. 3. Over time, the two populations rise and fall in a pattern.
What is desertification?
1. Desertification- the transformation of a forest to a semi-desert condition 1. After carbon emissions caused by humans, deforestation is the second principle cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide. 2. Because of these human activities, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are higher today than they have been over the last half-million years or longer.
What are detritivores? Examples?
1. Detritivores - feed on plant remains and other dead matter called detritus. 1. Ex. mites, earthworms, snails, and crabs
What is the famous example of biological magnification?
1. During the 1960's and 1970's scientists studying predatory birds such as ospreys and eagles found a correlation between high levels of DDT in parent birds and a thinning of the eggshells. 2. Young birds died before hatching producing a marked decline in populations. 3. The U.S. banned the use of DDT in 1976 but U.S. companies still manufactured it and sold it to other countries until 1984.
What are greenhouse gasses?
1. Earth's atmosphere contains gases called greenhouse gases that act as insulators and slow the loss of heat through the atmosphere. 2. The most common greenhouse gases found in the atmosphere are: carbon dioxide nitrous oxide water vapor methane. 3. These greenhouse gases act as a blanket that slows the release of energy and helps to keep Earth at a temperature that can support life.
What are ecological footprints?
1. Earth's carrying capacity depends on how much land is needed to support each person on Earth. 2. Ecological footprint - measures how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resource it consumes and to absorb its wastes, using prevailing technology. 3. The average US citizen's ecological footprint covers an area larger than 24 football fields and is one of the largest in the world. 4. However, the footprint of individuals in developing nations is growing and nations such as China and India have populations that are more than 3 times the size of the US population. 5. Individuals in the US may have a large footprint but other nations have a lot more "feet".
What is permafrost?
1. Permafrost- a permanent frozen layer of ground beginning a few meters deep and ranging from several meters to over a kilometer in depth. 2. Permafrost thaws and re-freezes, which rips and crushes plant roots making plants small and stunted.
What are effects of global warming?
1. Evidence shows that global warming is already threatening ecosystems around the world. 1. Ecological disasters such as increased flooding, stronger tropical storms and the loss of biodiversity are just a few of the threats that may be caused by global warming. 2. The polar ice caps are melting at a rapid pace which may affect global weather patterns. 2. These changes may be part of a slow warming process or they may be the beginning of a rapid global climate change. 3. Scientists predict that average temperatures on Earth could increase anywhere from 2.2 F to 10 F by the year 2100, a change that could have dramatic effects on Earth's biosphere and change the planet that we call home!
What are examples of consumers?
1. Ex. All animals & fungi; most bacteria & some protists
What are primary succession examples?
1. Ex. Surface where a volcano has previously erupted covering the land with lava rock or volcanic ash (no soil is present) 2. Ex. Area where a glacier has melted. (No soil!) 3. Ex. Mount St. Helens
What are examples of freshwater biomes? Why are they important? What is wildlife like?
1. Ex. streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps, creeks, brooks, and ponds 2. 3% of surface water on Earth is freshwater. 3. Freshwater is important in recycling the earth's water supply through the water cycle. 4. Provide drinking water and food 5. Have a variety of fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians; moss and fungi and algae
What are examples of secondary succession
1. Ex. when land is cleared and plowed for farming and then left abandoned 2. Ex. when wildfires burn woodlands 3. Ex. when a tornado rips through a forest
What is the Type 2 Survivorship Curve?
1. Ex: Organisms such as birds, small mammals and some reptiles 2. Shows a survivorship rate that is roughly equal at all ages of an organisms life. 3. At all times, these species have equal chances of living and dying, whether from disease or as a result of predation
What is exponential growth?
1. Exponential growth - (J shaped curve) occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a period of time. 1. Exponential growth may occur when a species moves to a previously uninhabited area. 2. Ex. Australian land owner brought 24 European rabbits to the country for the purpose of sport hunting. 3. The rabbits were introduced into an area that had abundant food and space and no predators fast enough to catch. 4. The initial population of 24 grew exponentially and spread across the country. 5. After many attempts to control the population, today there are between 200 million and 300 million rabbits in Australia.
What are the burmese python and an alligator?
1. Florida Everglades—Burmese python came to US as a pet • Native to southeastern Asia 2. Grows more than 20ft long; Difficult to take care of 3. Irresponsible owners released them back into wild 4. Large number have been captured from Everglades but still a good chance that a breeding population is present 5. Feeds on small animals—rats, birds raccoons and even dogs • It threatens endangered bird species
What is a food chain?
1. Food Chain —a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten 1. The energy stored by producers can be passed through an ecosystem along it
What is an aquatic indicator species?
1. Gender-bending fish and deformities in frogs indicate water contamination 2. Frogs have extremely thin skin that is water permeable. It soaks up chemical containments easily.
What is a grassland? (geographic, abiotic, biotic)
1. Geographic's 1. Interior portions of most continents 2. Temperate grasslands: include areas known as veldts South Africa, pampas in Argentina and Uruguay, steppes in Asia and prairies in central North America. 2. Antibiotic Factors 2. Mostly treeless 3. Warm to hot summers, cold winters, moderate and seasonal precipitation 4. This biome is maintained in regions with occasional fires and grazing by large mammals. 5. Fires prevent the establishment of woody shrubs and trees. 4. Biotic Factors 1. No trees 2. Most plants are resistant to fire and drought 3. Lush grasses and leafy plants
What is a tropical rainforest (geographic, abiotic, biotics)?
1. Geographic's 1. Occur in humid equatorial areas! 2. Parts of South and Central America, South East Asia, Parts of Africa, Southern India, NE Australia 2. Antibiotic Factors 1. Hot & wet year round 2. Rainfall exceeds 98 in. per year 3. There is a short season of reduced rainfall. 1. Biotic Factors 2. Larger animals are tree dwellers and there is little organic soil because of high decomposition and recycling rates.
What is a chaparral? (geographic, biotics, abiotic)
1. Geographic's 1. Regions around the Mediterranean Coastal Chile, 2. Southwestern Africa Southwestern Australia 3. California Northwestern Mexico 2. Abiotic Factors 1. The climate of this biome results from cool, offshore ocean currents that produce mild, rainy winters and long hot dry summers 1. Biotic Factors 2. Plants in the chaparral can survive long periods of drought, heat and fire. They are similar to desert plants--can also withstand long periods without water. Some plants require fires in order to survive (like the Chamisos)
What is a temperate deciduous forest? (geographic, abiotic, biotic)
1. Geographic's 1. Temperate forests are in: Eastern United States Most of central Europe Parts of eastern Asia and Australia Small amount in southern South America. 2. Antibiotic Factors 1. Cold winters that halt plant growth, 2. Warm summers 3. Year round precipitation fertile soils 4. The soils are rich in inorganic and organic matter (humus) and support a diversity of species. 5. Trees shed their leaves in the fall. Leaves change colors. 4. Biotic Factors 1. Forests with mixture of deciduous trees (shed leaves in fall) and coniferous trees (cones), herbs, ground layer of mosses and ferns.] 2. Animal life is diverse because of the diverse habitats
What is a desert? (geographic, abiotic factors)
1. Geographic's: 1. Sahara in Africa (largest), United States, Asia, Middle East, Mexico, South America, Australia 2. Antibiotic Factors 1. Less than 10 inches of rain per year—all at one short time; rapid evaporation 2. Soils rich in minerals but poor in organic material 3. Variable temperatures during the day, usually reach 129 ̊F 4. Night time temp. usually drops below freezing
What is the taiga? (geographic, abiotic and biotic factors)
1. Geographic's: Northern Hemisphere 2. Antibiotic Factors: 1. Long, cold winters, short mild summers, moderate precipitation, high humidity 2. Nutrient poor soils -acidic 3. Biotic Factors 1. Animals are adapted to cold winters, often active in tunnels under the snow in winter (mice).
What is the greenhouse effect?
1. Glass in a greenhouse creates an environment for plants to grow—it allows sunlight to pass radiation through and then traps the infrared radiation (or heat) inside providing energy for plant growth. 2. Greenhouse Effect- the rise in temperature Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere trap energy from the sun. 3. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth's average temperature would be about 60oF colder.
What is a habitat? Ex?
1. Habitat - the organism's address; where the organism lives 1. Pond, Cave, Hole in the ground, Tree, Lake
What are herbivores? Examples?
1. Herbivores - (herb- plant) obtain energy by eating only plants. 1. Ex. cows, caterpillars, deer and rabbits
What is the ozone layer?
1. High concentrations of ozone in the stratosphere, known as the ozone layer, acts as a shield protecting Earth's biosphere against harmful ultraviolet rays found in sunlight. 2. The ozone layer is like earth's "sunscreen" or "sunglasses" protecting us from damaging UV rays of the sun.
What is the intertidal zone? Examples?
1. Intertidal Zone- the zone along the shoreline 2. Most difficult place for an organism to live because of high tides and shifting sands 3. Most biologically active area in the marine ecosystem 4. Has high level of light and nutrients 5. Ex. sand crabs kelp, barnacles, snails, seaweed, sea stars, starfish, sea urchin
What is an introduced species?
1. Introduced Species- any organism that was brought to an ecosystem as the result of human actions 1. Introduced species can pose a great threat to the stability of an ecosystem if they prey on or crowd out native species. 2. In some instances, introduced species can cause economic damage. 3. Just as native species interact with one another and their habitat, non-native species (or introduced species) are active and sometimes disruptive in their new ecosystem.
What are starlings?
1. Invasive species are successful in environments under many different circumstances. 2. If an environment has a niche that the invasive species can exploit or if the invasive species is a better competitor in a particular niche, native species may be pushed out. 3. Invasive species are also successful if there is a lack of predators to keep the population stable. 5. European starlings 6. In 1890, a drug manufacturer who wanted every bird found in Shakespeare to live in America released 60 starlings in Central Park. 7. After spending a few years nesting modestly under the eaves of the American Museum of Natural History, they went from a poetic fancy to a menacing majority 8. There are now upward of 200 million birds across North America, where they thrive at the expense of other cavity nesters like bluebirds and woodpeckers, eat an abundance of grain — as well as harmful insects — and occasionally bring down airplanes.
What is kudzu?
1. Kudzu another native of southeastern Asia are invasive in the US 2. Was introduced in 1876 as an ornamental tropical houseplant 3. Was planted as field cover to prevent soil loss from erosion, but rapidly spread out of fields 4. Currently classified as a problematic weed species in much of the eastern US 5. Hardy plant at home in virtually any soil; Can grow up to 60 ft in a single growing season; Growth rate makes it difficult to control; Very few plant species can survive in an environment once kudzu is introduced; Deprives other plants of sunlight; Resistant to most types of herbicides and can live for many years.
What are desert important facts?
1. Less than 10 inches of rain per year Growing faster than any other land biome (rainforest and grasslands are become deserts) 2. Plants are adapted to really dry conditions because they can store water and produce lots of seeds. 3. Animals are adapted to really dry conditions because they have thick, tough, and dry skin The Sahara is the largest desert. 4. Death Valley in Southern California is probably the most visited desert in the U.S. Some deserts are cold and some deserts are hot.
Explain the lichen example of mutualism.
1. Lichens growing on trees are really a combination of a fungus and an algae growing together (mutually) 1. The fungus provides the algae with protection from radiation and from drying out. 2. The algae provides the fungus with energy.
What are the taiga facts?
1. Lies just south of the tundra 2. Characterized by coniferous trees —trees with needle-like leaves that they do not shed in winter 3. Largest land biome 4. Also known as the Boreal Forest 5. Fire is essential to this biome to keep in from becoming a deciduous forest.
What 3 ways that oceans impact the biosphere?
1. Life originated in the sea and evolved there for 3 billion years before making any transition to land. 2. Ocean temperatures have a major effect on climate and wind patterns. 3. Photosynthesis by marine algae (phytoplankton) supplies a substantial portion of the biosphere's oxygen (70% +).
What are two major factors that sape communities in the sea?
1. Light 2. Availability of nutrients
What are some abiotic factors that affect water biomes?
1. Light intensity 2. Amounts of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide 3. Availability of inorganic and organic nutrients 4. Salinity level (determines the type of organisms in the ecosystem) 5. Temperature
What are grassland facts?
1. Located on the interior portions of most continents 2. Has the most fertile soil of all land biomes 3. Requires fire in order to not become a deciduous forest 4. In the U.S. they have mostly disappeared and today the areas are mainly for farming—cattle grazing and for growing grain 5. In the U.S. they are called prairies or plains. 6. In other areas they are called veldts, pampas, steppes, or savannas
What is logistic growth?
1. Logistic growth - (S shaped curve) a population begins with a period of slow growth followed by a brief period of exponential growth before leveling off at a stable size. 1. During initial growth, resources are abundant and the population is able to grow. 2. Over time, resources begin to deplete, and growth starts slow. 3. As resources become limited, the population levels off at a size the environment can support. 4. **Most populations face limited resources and thus; show a logistic growth rate.
Explain the mycorrhizae example of mutualism.
1. Mycorrhizae is a mutualistic relationship between fungi and plants roots. 1. The fungi help the plant with absorption of nutrients. The plant provides the fungi with essential nutrients.
What is a niche? Ex?
1. Niche - the organism's occupation; Its what it does for life. 1. Ex. what eats it, how it gets food, when and how it reproduces; when and how does it sleep Its habits!
Explain nitrification.
1. Nitrification - removes nitrogen from the atmosphere and converts ammonia to nitrates. 2. Ammonia can be taken up directly by plants — usually through their roots, however, most of the ammonia produced is converted into nitrates by 2 other types of bacteria (called nitrifying bacteria) in a process known as nitrification. 3. Through their activities (which supply them with all their energy needs), nitrogen is made available to the roots of plants.
Explain nitrogen fixation.
1. Nitrogen Fixation - removes nitrogen from the atmosphere and converts it into ammonium, which is made possible by certain bacteria living on the roots of plants in the legume family (like soybeans or alfalfa). 2. The bacteria convert the atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia (NH4).
Explain denitrification.
1. Nitrogen fixation and nitrification remove nitrogen from the atmosphere and pass it through ecosystems, changing nitrates back to nitrogen gas, thus replenishing the atmosphere (nitrates > nitrogen gas) 1. Bacteria are the agents and thus, they close the nitrogen cycle.
What are nonrenewable resources?
1. Nonrenewable resources- resources that are used faster than they form. 2. They can not be renewed during our lifetime. 3. Ex. oil, coal, natural gas---takes millions and millions of years to form from plant and animal fossils. 1. 2006 human population was using oil at a rate of 77 million barrels per day and world consumption continues to rise. 2. The growing use of this limited resource will lead to an energy crisis in the decades ahead unless technologies are developed to use other forms of energy.
What are tundra facts?
1. Northern most biome 2. Coldest land biome 3. Youngest biome 4. Less than 10 inches of rainfall a year 5. Characterized by permafrost—permanently frozen ground 6. Small stunted plants because roots do not grow very deep or wide
What are omnivores? Examples?
1. Omnivores - (omni- all) eats both plant and animals 1. Ex. humans, bears, crows
What is a natural indicator species?
1. One way scientists can determine the health of an ecosystem is through the study of natural indicator species. 2. An indicator species (or bioindicator) is a species that provides a sign or indication of the quality of the ecosystem's environmental conditions. 3. Lichens growing on trees indicates good air quality.
What is earth's carrying capacity?
1. Our predictions of Earth's carrying capacity have changed overtime. 2. Thomas Malthus wrote a controversial essay in which he claimed that the human population was growing faster than Earth's resources could support. 3. In Malthus's lifetime the world population was around 1 billion people. Today the world population is around 6 billion.
What is global warming?
1. Over the past 100 years the average global temperature has risen 1.2 F, with the most dramatic change occurring over the past 40 years. 2. Global Warming- the trend of increasing global temperature 3. Global temperature fluctuations are a normal part of Earth's climate cycle but major changes in temperature usually occur over tens of thousands of years and not over 100 years. 4. From evidence, scientists infer that the changes in temperature are the result of the increased levels of the greenhouse gas --carbon dioxide 5. Increased levels of CO2 over the past 100 years is due to: industry growth, automobiles, and deforestation 6. Many scientists believe that excessive amounts of CO2 (released from the burning of fossil fuels) in the environment is trapping excess heat on Earth and not letting it radiate back out into outer space at night. 7. Also, some scientist argue that we have cut down many of the trees on Earth that would have normally remove some of the excessive CO2 during photosynthesis, which is now contributing to global warming as well. 8. Scientist may disagree on how this human impact is influencing global warming, but most agree that we must take steps to slow the warming process.
What is ozone?
1. Ozone is O3 gas. 2. Ozone plays an important, protective role in the Earth's upper atmosphere.
What is the parasite? What is the host?
1. Parasite - does the harming 2. Host - what is harmed 1. *Parasite is usually always smaller than host! 2. *The parasite usually doesn't kill its host!
What is parasitism? Ex?
1. Parasitism- symbiosis where one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it by getting its nutrients, usually doesn't kill it 1. Ex: Fleas, Ticks, Protist that causes Malaria, Heart worms and tapeworms
What is the photic zone?
1. Photic zone -has light Aphtoic zone—no light 2. The photic zone -is the more shallow area of the pelagic zone: max . depth is 600 feet has good light penetration for photosynthetic organisms. 3. The photic zone is a relatively small portion of ocean water and bottom into which light penetrates and in which photosynthesis can occur, and is usually rich in life forms 4. *Many types of fish like tuna, herring, sardines, sharks and rays live in this area, along with whales and porpoises.
What is a pioneer species? Ex?
1. Pioneer Species- the first species to populate the area is the 1. Ex. on lava rock that would be lichens. 1. Lichens help break down rock which eventually leads to the formation of soil. 2. Lichens will break down rock to make soil. lichen is a pioneer
What is sustainable management?
1. Pollution- any undesirable factor or pollutant that is added to the air, water or soil, which can take the form of microscopic air particles, or waste products from factories and sewers, or household chemicals that are poured down the kitchen sink. 2. Any harmful effects of pollutants can be immediate or delayed, but these effects may add up over time and can disrupt the function of ecosystems. 1. The most common air pollution comes from waste products produced by burning fossil fuels—like gas and oil. 1. Smog- a type of air pollution caused by the interaction of sunlight with pollutants produced by fossil fuel emissions.
What are PCBs?
1. Polychlorinated biphenyls, in short PCBs, are a group of man-made chemicals. 2. PCBs have been used in many different products, including electrical equipment, surface coatings, inks, adhesives, flame-retardants, and paints. 3. PCBs may be released into the environment, for instance when waste that contains PCBs is incinerated or stored in landfills. 4. About 10% of the PCBs produced since 1929 still remain in the environment today. 5. Because of possible impacts on human health and the environment, the use and production of PCBs are now banned or severely restricted in many countries.
What is a population crash?
1. Population crash- a dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short period of time (There are many reasons for a crash.) 2. For example: In 1944, 29 reindeer introduced to St. Matthew Island off the coast of Alaska. At the time the island was covered in a rich mat of lichens—plenty of food allowed the reindeer to grow exponentially. By the summer of 1963, their population had grown to 6000 reindeer. Then over the winter large amounts of snow fell on the food that had already been depleted by the large herd. By the spring of 1964 only 50 reindeer remained
What is population density?
1. Population density- the number of individuals that live in a defined area.
What is population dispersion?
1. Population dispersion- the way in which individuals of a population spread in an area or a volume. 1. 3 types of Population Dispersion: Clumped Uniform Random 1. Population density is calculated this way: # of individuals = population density area (units2)
What is growth in a population like?
1. Population growth is a function of the environment. 2. The rate of growth for a population is directly determined by the amount of resources available. 3. A population may grow very rapidly, or it may take a bit of time to grow. 4. Growth of a population can be zero, positive or negative. 5. Growth rates graphs often plot the number of individuals in the population against time. 6. There are two distinct types of population growth
What is primary succession?
1. Primary Succession- succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists. 1. Occurs where any previously existing ecosystem has been removed. 2. The area is then colonized by pioneer species, and soil forms, allowing more plants and animals to move in— beginning of secondary succession.
What was silent spring?
1. Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring described how the pesticide DDT was affecting wildlife. 2. It brought about a public uproar and helped lead to a ban on the use of DDT in the United States. 3. Since then, a variety of measures have been put into place, both to restore Earths biosphere and to protect it from further degradation.
What is reclamation?
1. Reclamation- the process of reclaiming something from loss or from a less useful condition 1. Companies must put land back in better condition than what it was BEFORE they mined it or tore it up
What are renewable resources?
1. Renewable resources are resources that are replenished faster than they are used up. 2. Ex. wind energy and solar power, most plants and animals, and drinking water 3. Renewable resources can become nonrenewable resources. 1. For example drinking water can become polluted by pesticides, industrial wastes and other contaminants. 4. Today the U.S. uses more resources and produces more wastes then any other country on Earth. Each year the US generates about 230 million tons of garbage. That is about 4.2 pounds per day per person, or almost 1 ton per year.
What is the Type 1 Survivorship Curve?
1. Represents a life history this is common among large mammals, including humans. 2. Ex: Curve shows a low level of infant mortality and a population that generally will survive until old age. 3. This type shows parental care since infants can't care for themselves. 4. By protecting their young, parents can better ensure that their offspring stay alive until they can survive on their own. 1. Survivorship Curves Help to Describe the Reproductive Strategy of a Species 1. A survivorship curve is a generalized diagram showing the number of surviving members over time from a measured set of births. 2. By measuring the number of offspring born in a year and following those offspring through until death, survivorship curves give information about the life history of a species.
What are resources? Ex?
1. Resource - refers to any necessity of life 1. Ex. water, nutrients, light, food or space.
Where does water go once on Earth?
1. Runs off into rivers, lakes and streams 2. Is absorbed by plants 3. Soaks into the ground filling aquifers.
What are scavengers? Examples?
1. Scavengers - carnivores which consume corpses or carcasses that were not killed to be eaten by him or others of its species. 1. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by contributing to the decomposition of dead animal remains, and decomposers complete this process, by consuming the remains left by scavengers. 2. Ex: vultures, yellow jackets, blowflies, raccoon, burying beetles
What is water quality?
1. Scientists have detected traces of many prescription drugs in freshwater supplies. 2. Several fish species that live in fresh water have been exposed to the female hormone -estrogen. 3. Some of the male fish have begun to showing female characteristics. These "gender-bending" fish are only one effect of water pollution. 4. Chemical contaminants, raw sewage, trash and other waste products are only a few pollutants that make their way into rivers, lakes and aquifers all over the world. 5. Runoff from farms and cities may contain toxic chemicals and debris that can disrupt the chemical balance of freshwater lakes and streams and put entire freshwater ecosystems at risk.
What is secondary succession?
1. Secondary Succession - occurs when a disturbance of some kind changes an existing community without removing the soil 1. Occurs after an ecosystem has been disturbed by natural events or human activities. 2. As it takes place, the disturbed area comes to resemble its surroundings, which ends when the climax community is reached 3. Secondary succession occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance, and soil is always present! 4. Remember: The major difference between primary succession and secondary succession is ... SOIL 5. Secondary Succession ends with a climax community
What is soil degradation and depletion?
1. Soil Degradation and Depletion 1. Soil Pollution- the build-up in soils of persistent toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on plant growth and animal health. 2. Pesticides threaten quality and quantity of the soil. 3. Soil depletion-soil erosion and overuse. 4. Soil pollution and soil depletion are threats to agriculture and to organisms that live in the soil.
What is biomagnification?
1. Some pollutants are water-soluble— meaning that they will dissolve in water and will exit an organism through its wastes. 2. Other pollutants are fat-soluble—meaning that they stay in the body fat of an organism. 1. Fat-soluble pollutants can move from one organism to another becoming more and more concentrated as it moves through the food chain --a process known as biomagnification. 3. In biomagnification, a pollutant moves up the food chain as predators eat prey, accumulating the toxin in higher concentrations in the bodies of predators. 1. After a pesticide is sprayed onto fields, large amounts of the chemical are washed into ponds and lakes where phytoplankton picks up the chemical from their environment. 2. The phytoplankton contain very small concentrations of the chemical, but when zooplankton feed on phytoplankton they are also eating the chemical. 3. Because the zooplankton eat many phytoplankton higher levels of the chemical build up in the zooplankton. 4. Secondary consumers such as small fish eat zooplankton and collect larger concentrations in their own body fat. 5. Larger fish eat the chemical-laden fish, and the amount of the chemical in their fat builds up as they eat more and more 6. The increase in contamination is dramatic and causes the consumer at the top of the food chain, often a large predator such as an eagle or hawk to receive the most concentrated dose of the pollutant.
What are the levels of organization?
1. Species 2. Populations 3. Community 4. Ecosystem 5. Biome 6. Biosphere
What is sustainable development?
1. Sustainable development- a practice in which natural resources are used and managed in a way that meets current needs without hurting future generations. 2. Ex. -changes in methods of harvesting natural resources. 1. Global fisheries are adopting methods so that areas are not over fished or so that fish populations are not depleted 2. Rotation- rotate which species of fish to be caught; gives the off species time to recover from a previous harvest 3. Fishing gear review - reviewing and possible banning fishing gear that can damage the sea floor and prevent ecologically important organisms from being killed 4. Harvest reduction - slowing the harvests of deep water species that grow very slowly allows them more time to recover their populations. 5. Fishing bans - creating and enforcing fishing bans in certain areas helps to replenish populations within that area, which may lead to greater fish numbers in nearby locations
What is the benthic zone?
1. The benthic zone is the sea floor or ocean floor. 2. Depending on its depth and light penetration, the benthic community consists of attached algae, fungi, bacteria, sponges, burrowing worms, sea anemones, clams, hagfish, crabs, and fishes. hagfish 3. Coral reefs are commonly found in warm, shallow benthic areas. 4. The reefs prevent erosion and provide habitats for many organisms like sea stars, plankton, sponges and variety of fish. 5. In deep benthic areas, hydrothermal vents can form the basis of a complex food web supporting a variety of animals.
What is a common house mouse?
1. The common house mouse is an introduced species to the Australian continent 2. During late 1700's mice came from Europe as stowaways on British cargo ships 3. Today mice are considered a major pest species in Australia and have caused widespread economic damage Every 4 or 5 years, their population increases exponentially 4. Seasons of heavy rainfall lead to bumper crops of corn and grain causing a dramatic rise in mouse populations and leading to huge numbers of mice moving from one food source to another 5. In 1993 and 1994 it was estimated that the mouse population in Australia cost farmers 65 million in lost revenue in.
What is deforestation and desertification?
1. The deforestation (cutting down of trees to clear land) of these areas may cause large scale changes in world climate as well as the loss of numerous species. 2. Desertification- turning into a desert faster than any other land biome.
What is estuary's diversity due to?
1. The diversity is attributed to: 1. Large amounts of nutrients 2. Tides that circulate the nutrients and remove wastes 3. Abundance of different types of plants.
What are effects of eutrophication?
1. The excess nutrients stimulate excessive algae growth. 2. This enhanced plant growth, often called an algal bloom, becomes very thick and blocks sunlight which causes other aquatic plants to die. 3. As these plants decompose, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water dramatically decreases. 4. The deoxygenated water causes lots of fish and other organisms to die. Overtime lakes and ponds slowly begin to fill in.
What is the pelagic zone? What is it home to?
1. The largest ocean area is the pelagic zone. 2. The pelagic zone (a.k.a. open sea zone or oceanic zone) 3. Divided into: 1. Light region (photic zone) 2. Dark zone (aphotic zone) 4. Home to lots of plankton—phytoplankton and zooplankton 5. The ocean water itself supports communities dominated by highly motile animals such as fish, squid, and marine mammals, including whales and dolphins. 6. Phytoplankton are the ocean's main photosynthesizers-- making most of the organic food molecules on which other ocean-dwellers depend. 1. "Grasses of the sea" - it's the basis of our food chain 2. Phytoplankton is abundant and it is responsible for 90% of the photosynthesis that takes place on Earth. (Gives us most of our oxygen!) 7. Zooplankton eat phytoplankton and, in turn are consumed by other animals, including fishes. 1. Zooplankton is a major part of our food chain! 2. Zooplankton are animals that drift in the pelagic zone either because they are too small to resist ocean currents or because they don't swim. 8. The availability of light and inorganic nutrients has a huge impact on the distribution of organisms in the ocean.
What are rainforest interesting facts?
1. The most complex of all biomes 2. Oldest of all the land biomes 3. Poorest soil of all biomes 4. Richest in biodiversity (more than all other land biomes combined) 5. Shrinking faster than any other due to deforestation 6. Land is turning into a semi-desert—desertification
What are the 3 changes in size of populations? (emigration and immigration)
1. The size of population is usually changing. 2. If resources such as food and water are abundant, or plentiful, a population may grow. 3. If resources are in short supply, the population may decrease in size. 1. Changes in a population size are determined by: 2. Immigration—movement into a population; births 3. Emigration - movement out of a population; deaths
What are the 3 R's of conservation?
1. The three R's of conservation are recycle, reduce, and reuse.
What is the Type 3 Survivorship curve?
1. These individuals have a very high birth rate and also a very high mortality rate. 2. Ex:These are generally invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and plants. 3. Many of their offspring will die from predation, but inevitably a few will survive to adulthood and be able to pass their genes on to the next generation.
What are temperate deciduous forest facts?
1. This is the biome we live in. Characterized by changing seasons. 2. Deciduous Trees —shed leaves in winter.
What is a trophic level?
1. Trophic Level- each step in a food chain or food web 1. Producers make up the fist trophic level and consumers make up all other levels
What is urbanization?
1. Urbanization- the clearing of land for shopping centers, housing developments and office space
What are chaparral facts?
1. Usually located between a grassland and a desert. 2. Smallest land biome 3. Fire is essential to this biome in order to keep it from becoming a deciduous forest 4. A.K.A. shrublands or scrublands 5. Old wild west movies are often filmed in these areas!
What is acid rain?
1. When nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide—(gases formed from burning fossil fuels)--combine with water vapor in clouds it forms sulfuric and nitric acids. 2. When this water vapor condenses and precipitates to the ground it has a pH less than 5.6—acid rain. 3. Normal rain can have a pH as low as 5.6. 4. Rain is considered "acid rain" when its pH drops below 5.6.
What is an estuary biome? Examples?
1. Where fresh water meets saltwater in a coastal area. 2. Ex. mouth of a river, salt marshes, mangrove swamps, lagoons 3. Ex. is Chesapeake Bay in Maryland—several freshwater rivers empty into this bay which merges with the Atlantic Ocean near Norfolk,VA 4. Water is partly surrounded by land w/ access to open oceans and rivers 5. Estuaries contain salt marshes and swampy areas 6. Estuaries are the most productive environments on Earth. 8. Animals: oysters,crabs,shrimp & many fish live or reproduce here Salinity levels fluctuate but is not as high as in the ocean (Usually shallow and sunlight can penetrate)
What is the tundra (abiotic factors and biotic factors)?
2. Tundra Abiotic Factors: 2. Strong winds 3. Long, cold dark winters and Short and soggy summers 4. Biotic Factors: 2. Animals are adapted to the cold by thick fur, or by migratory behavior.
What percentage of air is nitrogen? Oxygen?
Air, which is 78% nitrogen gas, is the major reservoir of nitrogen. (21% oxygen and 1% other elements combined)
Why do living things need carbon?
All living things need carbon, because 99.9% of all organisms on the planet are believed to be carbon based life; carbon is the basis of life on Earth.
Why do living things need nitrogen?
All living things need nitrogen to make proteins (amino acids) and nucleic acids (nitrogenous base of DNA and RNA).
Explain assimilation.
Assimilation- the process by which plants take in nitrogen and assemble it into the necessary compounds it needs.
Describe the energy flow in an ecosystem.
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction: Sun to Producers to Consumers. It is an open system.
What is eutrophication?
Eutrophication- a process whereby lakes, ponds, streams, or estuaries, become overly productive due to runoff of fertilizer from farms.
What is a food web?
Food web- a web that links all the food chains in an ecosystem together.
What are phytoplankton?
In water, and in the sunlit, upper layers of the ocean algae are the main autotrophs. (This algae is referred to as phytoplankton) (phyta- plant)
Where do plants get phosphorous from?
Once in the ground, phosphorus is then taken up by plants.
What process do they undergo?
They use energy stored in chemical compounds to make food - chemosynthesis (chemo- chemical; synthesis-to make)
What is the relationship like between ecosystems?
Unlike the one-way flow of energy, matter is recycled within and between ecosystems. They are closed systems.
What are ecological pyramids?
a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web.
What is a species?
a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.
What does extinct mean?
a species that is gone forever
What is predation?
an interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism.
What are primary consumers?
animal that eats a plant
What are quaternary consumers?
animal that eats the animal that ate the animal that ate the animal that ate the plant (not in every food chain) (eats tertiary)
What are secondary consumers?
animal that eats the animal that ate the plant. (Eats primary)
What is symbiosis?
any relationship in which two species live closely together ("Living together") (3 types)
What are the phyto and zoo plankton's relationship?
basis of the food chain- phytoplankton primary consumer- zooplankton
What is the main way nitrogen gets to earth from the atmosphere?
being absorbed by plants
How do animals get phosphorous?
by eating the plants that absorbed phosphorous or eating animals that ate those plants
What is a community?
different populations that live together in a defined area.
What are predators?
does the capturing and the eating
How does water return to the atmosphere?
evaporation
How do animals get nitrogen?
from plants or other animals that have fed on plants
What is a biome?
group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities. (There are 6 major land biomes and 3 aquatic biomes)
What is a population?
groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
What is an ecosystem?
is a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place together with their nonliving environment. (The ecosystem is the basic unit of ecology.)
What is an autotroph?
is an organism that uses energy to make its own food
What is prey?
is what is captured and eaten
What is a climax community
mature stable community that results from succession.
What other main organisms are involved in the nitrogen cycle besides plants and animals?
microorganisms like bacteria
What removes nitrogen form the atmosphere and converts ammonia to nitrates?
nitrification
What removes nitrogen from the atmosphere and converts it into ammonium?
nitrogen fixation
Is phosphorous in the atmosphere?
no
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
no two species can share the same niche in the same habitat
Explain how water gets to earth from the atmosphere.
precipitation
What are the bases of every food chain?
producers
What are community interactions?
such as competition, predation and various forms of symbiosis can powerfully affect an ecosystem
What is the main energy source for life on earth?
sunlight
What is mutualism?
symbiosis where both species benefit from the relationship
What is commensalism?
symbiosis where one member in the relationship benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
What are deciduous trees?
trees that shed leaves in winter
Is carbon in the atmosphere?
yes
Is nitrogen in the atmosphere?
yes
Is water contained in the atmosphere?
yes