Module 1 Carson Study Outline
Keystone species
- some communities have one species that stabilizes the community and holds the web together -Not always the most numerous organism -Loss of keystone species can lead to extinction of other species. -Native versus exotic species
Biodiversity
-Defined as the variety of life on Earth -Described in terms of the number of species -Presently in a biodiversity crisis -In the US, 85% of extinction involved habitat loss
Pollution
-Enter and remain in the bodies of organisms because they are not excreted -Decomposers are unable to break down certain wastes -Become more concentrated as they pass along a food chain -Effect is most apt to occur in aquatic food chains, which have more links than terrestrial food chains. -Bioremediation of pollutants
Ecological niche of a species
-Incorporates the role the species plays in its community, its habitat, and its interactions with other species -Includes the living and nonliving resources that individuals in the population need to meet their energy, nutrient, and survival demands
tropical rain forests
-canopy -stable temperature -great competition -many species -soil not rich
What were the three major reasons for the decline of the chimpanzee population in Africa according to Jane Goodall?
-disease -habitat loss -bush meat industry
Energy
-exists in a variety of forms -can be stored (potential energy) and then released (kinetic energy) later to do work -molecules can be rearranged so they hold more energy (glucose and carbohydrate); that energy is released when the molecules return to their former structure (carbon dioxide)
Agricultural value
-food and fibers from agricultural crops -biological pest controls -wild pollinators
temperate deciduous forest
-forest in a temperate region -characterized by trees that drop their leaves annually the most common biome in eastern North America, Western Europe, Eastern Asia, Chile and New Zealand -22 F to 966 F and drop to below freezing on an annual basis -29.5-59 in of rainfall
tundra
-permafrost -once disturbed takes long time to restore -average winter temperature: -29.2 F -average summer temperature 37-52 F -short growing season of 50-60 days, but days are usually light 24 hour -6-10 in of rainfall
desert biome
-subtropical deserts are centered on the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn -subtropical deserts are very dry, evaporation typically exceeds precipitation -temps of 142 F during the day to 32 F at night -temp drop because there is little water vapor in the air to prevent radiative cooling of the land surface
grasslands
-support great biomass -found throughout central America and are also known as prairies and in Eurasia are known as steppes -hot summers and cold winters -annual rainfall 10-35 in -fires are a natural disturbance, ignited by lightning strikes
Community Stability
-the ability of a community to maintain a particular structure -Fragile web of interdependencies -the dependence of two or more people or things on each other.
Limitations of the Scientific Method
1) cannot answer all questions; 2) can never capture the full richness of the individuals and the environments under study; 3) measuring instruments always have some degree of error
The Scientific Method
1. Observations/Wondering Why? 2. Formulate a Hypothesis 3. Test the Hypothesis - Design Experiment Experimental Group(s) Control Group(s) Control excludes any other explanation except the factor being tested; the variable is left out or altered 4. Results 5. Analysis of Results/Conclusion
kcal (kilocalorie)
17 505 856 m4 kg2 / s4
In a food chain, caterpillars are eaten by wrens and the wrens are eaten by hawks. If there is 2000 kilograms of caterpillars, how much of this biomass will be converted into top carnivore tissue?
20 kg
Overall equation for photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O + Light NRG -> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Some scientists estimate that over half of the world's rainforest has already been lost, mostly due to human activities. What would you predict as a consequence of the massive loss of plant life?
An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide
Heterozygous
An organism that has two different alleles for a trait
Autotroph
An organism that makes its own food
taiga
Biome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw
Which of the following is FALSE about the relationship between chimps and humans?
Both chimps and humans have opposable thumbs and big toes.
Competition
Competition for resources contributes to the niche of each species and structures the community.
Photosynthesis
Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.
Competitive exclusion principle
Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time
Breaking the bond of the last phosphate group of ATP releases energy (about 7.3 kcal/mole) and forms ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and phosphate. Since energy is released, this is an
Exergonic reaction
The effect of DDT on eagle eggshells illustrates the concept of biological half-life
False
How are greenhouse gases suspected of causing climate warming?
Greenhouse gases prevent radiation of infrared energy back into space, trapping the heat near the Earth's surface and causing the climate to warm.
Pollution
Heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, synthetic organic compounds (plastics, etc.), other wastes
In which ways does overfishing lead to decreased biodiversity?
It depletes fish that feed on some species and serve as food sources for other species, leading to the eradication of some species and the overpopulation of others
In which ways does overfishing lead to decreased biodiversity?
It depletes fish that feed on some species and serve as food sources for other species, leading to the eradication of some species and the overpopulation of others.
Which of the following is an example of pollution?
Leftover minerals from ores are left along a stream bed, allowing leftover traces of the mineral to run off into the stream after heavy rains.
Medicinal value
Many drugs are isolated from plants or fungi
Producers convert solar energy and inorganic nutrients into chemical energy in the form of
Organic nutrients
What is the correct order of the Scientific Method?
Preliminary Observations, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data, Conclusion
Which statement could be considered a scientific theory?
Radioactive isotopes can be used as tracers because radioactive isotopes behave the same as other isotopes.
An aspiring scientist in a biology class wanted to conduct a study on the effects of cigarette smoke on the web-building ability of spiders. Which of the following statements is an incorrect use of terms pertaining to the scientific method?
Robert wanted to see if his theory was true that cigarette smoke will influence web-building in spiders.
We have to eat regularly as a consequence of which law?
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Which of the following would be considered a commensalistic relationship?
Some Pseudoscorpions are small, harmless arachnids. To move from one place to another, they will sometimes latch onto the legs of flies and thus be carried long distances that they would not readily be able to traverse.
Habitat
Spatially, species live in a particular area of the community, such as underground, in the trees, or in shallow water.
Potential Energy
The energy required to lift something, the energy is now stored in the item by virtue of its position and force of gravity acting on it
If a population lacks variation (fixed), no individual has any advantageous trait, and the environment changes for the worse. What will most likely happen to the population in terms of natural selection?
The entire population will go extinct.
Jane Goodall conducted her research on chimpanzees using the scientific method as a model.
True
Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem?
a coral reef together with all the fishes and invertebrates living in and around it
If the human population overshoots the earth's carrying capacity
a population crash is likely to occur
A keystone species is
a species on which many other species depend
Energy flow through an ecosystem begins when producers
absorb solar energy
Community
all living organisms (different species) living in a given area at a given time
Ecosystem
all non-living (abiotic) and living (biotic) components in a given area at a given time
The control group in an experiment
allows a standard of comparison for the experimental group
1 calorie
amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius
In an aquatic ecosystem, the aquatic plants are eaten by small invertebrates that in turn are eaten by crayfish, the crayfish are eaten by fish, and the fish are eaten by ducks. In this system, the most biomass would be found in the
aquatic plants
Biosphere
area of planet that can support life
Earth's land is divided into biomes
based on plant life they support
Why is a species with a small population more likely to undergo an extinction?
because they have less genetic diversity
Producers
begin food chain; autotrophs - usually green plants and bacteria (phytoplankton in the oceans; role in oxygen production)
Mercury can enter an aquatic food chain and collect in fish as well as people who eat fish. This is an example of which of the following processes?
biological magnification
Extinction
can occur when change is too rapid for suitable adaptations to occur.
All animal life depends upon _____, obtained from plants
carbohydrate and oxygen
Carbon enters the biomass of animal bodies in the form of
carbohydrates
Rachel Carson took a stand and spoke out against the use of
chemical pesticides
Meghan is studying interactions between caribou and their wolf predators. This is an example of a(n)
community
Secondary (or higher) consumers
consume primary consumers (or layer below themselves), carnivores, parasites, scavengers
If the physical environment changes
corresponding changes will occur in species and their relationships with each other.
In an aquatic ecosystem, the aquatic plants are eaten by small invertebrates that in turn are eaten by crayfish, the crayfish are eaten by fish, and the fish are eaten by ducks. In this system, the secondary consumer would be the
crayfish
Living components of ecosystems process
energy and chemicals
Kinetic Energy
energy associated with objects in motion
To make ATP
energy must be added to bind phosphate to ADP (adenosine diphosphate). This is an endergonic reaction = requires energy.
Science is based on
evidence
Primary consumers
feed on producers; herbivores
Scientists were studying temperature selection amongst pregnant big brown bats. What would be the best control group for this study?
female bats that were not pregnant
The breakdown of pollutants by bacteria is referred to as
fermentation
Which of the following is an example of a density independent factor? -parasitism -spread of West Nile Virus among chickadees -wolf packs in territory disputes -flooding after heavy rains -males fighting for access to females
flooding after heavy rains
Materials which are non-biodegradable can move through the system, but they tend to accumulate as move up
food web
Which of the following is not a renewable resource?
fossil fuels
scientific theory
generally accepted, thoroughly tested and confirmed explanation for a set of observations or phenomena
Population
group of organisms of same species living in a given area at a given time
The major cause of the loss in Earth's biodiversity is
habitat loss
Eventually energy dissipates into the environment as
heat
Martin is studying blue gill fish which are insectivores. How would you classify this fish?
heterotrophic consumer
Human society in its current form is unsustainable because
important natural resources are being consumed more quickly than they can be replenished.
biological magnification
increasing concentration of a harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web
DDT
is noteworthy because of its persistence in the environment
ENERGY
is the measurable capacity to do work on, or to transfer heat to, an object
ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
is the universal form of energy currency in cells. It is the molecule that the cell usually uses to power its energy-requiring reactions (such as muscle contraction or transport of ions and molecules across a cell membrane into and out of the cell).
Second Law of Thermodynamics
it is impossible to convert energy completely into usable forms for work, some will be lost to entropy (= the degree of disorder or randomness in a system). All energy transfers involve a decrease in the amount of usable energy as some is lost in an unusable form (entropy) such as heat.
First Law of Thermodynamics
law of conservation of energy = energy can neither be created or destroyed, it can only change from one form to another form of energy.
Desertification and deforestation are similar in that both involve
loss of plant and animal life in an area.
Energy flow in food webs
only 10% of the usable energy is transferred because usable energy lost as heat (second law); not all biomass is digested and absorbed; predators expend energy to catch prey
As a rule of thumb
only about 10 percent of the energy that's stored as biomass in one trophic level (per unit time) ends up stored as biomass in the next trophic level (per the same unit time).
Energy flows through the ecosystem because
organic nutrients pass from one component of the ecosystem to another.
Decomposers
organisms of decay; bacteria and fungi; release simple substances reusable by producers; work at any level
Can carrying capacity be achieved by catastrophe
overshooting-demand in excess of regeneration. It can apply to animal populations and people
Trees do not grow in the tundra because the
permafrost is always frozen
thylakoid membrane
photosystems with chlorophyll, accessory pigments, electron acceptor
All of the coyotes of the same species living in the Mojave Desert constitute a
population
Food chain usually involves
predator-prey relationships
Chemical cycling begins when
producers take in inorganic nutrients from the physical environment.
Some rivers have been dammed under the guise of flood control. What might be an unintended consequence of using this approach?
reduced fertility of downstream land due to reduced silt deposits
Organisms are more likely to face extinction if they have which of the following characteristics?
restricted geographic ranges
Which of the following is an autotroph? -lion -rose bush -omnivore -hyena
rose bush
In an aquatic ecosystem, the aquatic plants are eaten by small invertebrates that in turn are eaten by crayfish, the crayfish are eaten by fish, and the fish are eaten by ducks. In terms of energy transfer, the organism feeding at the most efficient level is the _____________.
small invertebrates
In an aquatic ecosystem, the aquatic plants are eaten by small invertebrates that in turn are eaten by crayfish, the crayfish are eaten by fish, and the fish are eaten by ducks. In this system, the herbivore would be the
small invertebrates
Vast majority of ecosystems cannot exist without a continual supply of
solar energy
Ecosystem
species interacting with each other and the physical environment
Ecology
study of the inter-relatedness of populations, communities, and ecosystems
The closer one eats to the producer
the more energy is transferred. Eating higher on the food chain wastes energy.
What determines the carrying capacity of a habitat?
the resources available within the environment
Organisms designated as producers usually obtain their energy from
the sun
Pollutants disrupt ecosystems because ______.
there are no evolved mechanisms to deal with them
Water is a major limiting factor in which of the following biomes?
tundra
Functionally, each species plays a role, such as
whether it is a photosynthesizer, predator, prey, or parasite.
Ecological Niche
~the sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment ~Each species occupies a particular position in the community, both in a spatial and a functional sense.
Carrying Capacity
• Limitations set on population size by environment • Maximum population the environment can support • Can change with a change in environmental conditions • Can be stable populations
Chloroplast Structure
• double membrane • grana • thylakoids
Electromagnetic spectrum - radiant energy
• wavelengths • energy • chlorophyll absorption spectrum