Ecology review

Mutualism

A relationship whereas two/more organisms that live amongst and benefit each other. For example Lichens and fungi/algae.

Commensalism

A relationship which allows one organism to benefit from the other organism while it isn't harm/helped. For example a tree/bird.

How does a biomass pyramid differ from an energy pyramid?

A biomass pyramid consist of the amount of pollutants built up through the biomagnification of species that consume it and other organisms who've consumed it already. While an energy pyramid provides us with the amount of energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other trophic levels.

Tropical Savannah

A biome that consists of grasses, and scattered trees. This area's climate gains less precipitation than other tropical regions. The Savannah are located in regions of Africa, South America, and Australia.

Demographic transition

A change in a population from high birth and death rates to low births and death rates.

What is a nutrient?

A chemical substance that an organism must have from the environment to survive and undergo life processes.

Nutrients

A chemical substance that an organism requires from their environment in order to survive. For example plants gain their nutrients through their soil by absorbing the moisture from the air. Therefore plants are able to convert those inorganic compounds into organic substances that allow those nutrients to pass on towards the consumers.

Limiting factor

A factor that limits organisms/ecosystems by abiotic/biotic factors.

How does a food chain differ from a food web?

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships and the flow of energy within/beyond an ecosystem, while a food chain consist of a producer eaten by a consumer, who continues to be eaten until the dominant consumer eats those organisms.

Community

A group of interacting populations at the same time/area.

What is a biological community?

A group of interacting populations that occur at the same geographic area at the same time.

What is the difference between a habitat, population and niche?

A habitat is a fused abiotic and biotic factored area where an organism lives. A population is all the individual species that live in the same area. A niche is a habitat that is composed of all the physical, chemical, and biological factors that is enough for a species to required for survival and breeding.

What is a biome?

A large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities.

What is a limiting factor and give an example?

A limiting factor is the role which is portrayed in an ecosystem. For example an abiotic factor such as the weather plays a crucial role in balancing the temperature to stabilize the surviving rate of living organisms in an ecosystem.

Food web

A model expressing the wide variety of intermissions food chains and paths that energy is distributed. For example in a desert, a jackrabbit that consumes plants could either be consumed by a raven/coyote. In addition another food chain could be seen through ants eaten by lizards, then consumed quail. Afterwards that quail will be consumed by a snake/coyote.

Ecological pyramid

A model that demonstrates how this diagram can represent the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or amount of organisms in each trophic level.

Intertidal zone

A narrow band where the ocean meets with the land. Organism in this region adapt toward the changes that occur through daily tides/waves. This area is split through two vertical zones known as the spray zone and high-tide zone. The spray zone is dry most of the time and is sprayed with saltwater which allows few animals/plants to live. While the high-tide zone is underwater only during high tides, which allows an abundant amount of water to be received. Which allows an abundant amount of life to exists. The mid-tide zone processes through an imbalance twice a day due to cover of tides over the shoreline. The low tide zone is covered with water and is filled with large amounts of populations.

Describe the differences between each of the following pairs of terms; primary producers and consumers, autotrophs and heterotrophs, detritivores and decomposers.

A primary producer is a plant, a consumer is an organism that feeds off of the plant or other living organisms. An autotroph is a producer that makes their own food. A heterotroph is an organism that eats different organisms. A detrivore is an organism that feeds off of dead organisms. A decomposer is an organism that breaks down dead organisms/ waste.

Overexploitation

A process of excessive use or species that have economic value which could lead to extinction.

Food Chain

A simple model that demonstrates how energy flows through an ecosystem. For example, a producer such as a plant is consumed by grasshoppers which are herbivores. Afterwards the insect is eaten by an omnivore such as mouse. Therefore the mouse is consumed by a snake which is a carnivore to finish up the food chain.

What are parasites?

A species that benefits and causes harm to its host.

Climax Community

A stabled, mature, community that is the outcome of nonfluctuating changes in the species composition.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits another organism while harming.

What is smog and what causes it?

A type of air pollution caused by the interaction of sunlight with pollutants produced by fossil fuel emissions.

What is acid rain and what causes it?

A type of precipitation produced when pollutants in the water cycle cause rain pH to drop below normal levels.

Lakes/Ponds

An inland body of water is a lake/pond. Water within lakes/ponds can be permanent/temporary. The temperatures during the winter of the water within lakes/pond are equal. During the spring/fall the nutrients from the bottom of the lakes are shifted toward the top due to the uniform water mixtures of the winds causing it.

Biological Augmentation

Adding natural predators to a degraded ecosystem.

Estuaries

An area that consists a diversity of fish from freshwater/oceans.

Mass Extinction

An event where a large percentage of all living species become eliminated in a relatively short period time.

Omnivore

An organism that consumes both plants/animals. For example bears, humans, and mockingbirds.

Detrivore

An organism that consumes dead fragments of matter in an ecosystem. Afterwards they return nutrients towards the soil after digesting it. For example worms, many water insects that live on stream bottoms.

Herbivore

An organism that consumes only plants. For example a deer, elk, and rabbit.

Carnivour

An organism that consumes other organism that are composed of meat.

Autotroph

An organism that creates it's own food through the process of collecting energy from the sun.

Heterotroph

An organism that eats other organisms.

Dispersion

Another characteristic of population which demonstrates the patterning of spacing of a population within an area. For example uniform, clumped, or random groups. The primary factors was to allow all organisms to be available toward food resources.

Density-dependent factor

Any factor in the environment that depends on the amount of members in a population per unit of area. This type of factor can be seen through biotic factors such as predation, disease, parasites, and competition.

Density-independent factor

Any factor in the environment that doesn't depend on the amount of members in a population per unit of area. This type of factor can be seen through abiotic factors of weather catastrophes.

Weather

Any specific time/location where conditions of the atmosphere occur.

Matter

Anything that takes up space and has mass that provides nutrients towards organisms.

2. 100 deaths/1000 crickets per 1/2 year; 1000 births/1000 crickets per 1/2 year (find r and G)

B= 1000/1000 D= 100/1000 r= 1000/1000- 100/1000 = (0.9) R= 9 G= 900

1. 37 births/300 mice in one month; 20 deaths/300 mice per month (find r and G).

B= 37/300 D= 20/300 r= 37/300 turns into 17/300 17/300= (0.056) answer G= N 17= 0.056 in one month = 317 mice. 2 months= 335 mice

What organism is essential for the nitrogen cycle to run?

Bacteria is required for the nitrogen cycle.

What is biomagnification? Give an example of an animal affected by such an occurrence.

Biomagnification is a pollutant that moves up the food chain as predators eat prey, consisting of high concentrations in the bodies of predators. For example tuna is infected with large amounts of mercury within them, due to their large consumptions of other fish who consume huge quantities of plankton which devour mercury.

Describe the differences between abiotic and biotic factors. Give 4 examples of each type of factors.

Biotic factors apply towards living organisms, while abiotic factors apply to nonliving sources. For example Biotic factors could be plants, animals, bacteria, and earthworms. Abiotic factors can be moisture, wind, temperature, and sunlight.

Carbon Cycle

Carbon and Oxygen coexist in order to provide a stabled environment for organisms to thrive. Carbon is expressed through respiration of carbon dioxide through organism/plants. As the carbon dioxide flows, it is placed into the atmosphere. Therefore the carbon dioxide undergoes diffusion which dissolved within the oceans, or rives. Carbon can also be demonstrated through decomposing of dead material or combustion fuels due to the industrial revolution. Carbon repeatedly undergoes the cycle in order to become essential towards life.

Biomes

Classified land regions characterized by their plants, animals, temperature, or precipitation.

Define the following terms: competition, parasitism, mutualism, commensalism, predation, immigration, emigration

Competition is when organisms of the two different species compete for limited resources. Parasitism is when one species benefits and harms the host. Mutualism is when both organisms of different species benefit each other. Commensalism is when one organism benefits while the other is unaffected. Predation is when an organism captures and feeds off of an organism. Immigration is allows the spread of an individual into a population from another population. Emigration is the process of individuals who leave their population towards another population.

Models of Energy Flow

Ecologist use food chains/webs to examine the flow of energy through an ecosystem.

Define an ecology, community, ecosystem, and keystone species.

Ecology is the study of the interactions of living things and their surrounding. A community is a group of different species that live in one area. An ecosystem includes all organisms, climate, soil, rocks, and nonliving things in one area. A keystone species is a specific species that causes a huge difference within an ecosystem.

What are fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels are decomposed organisms that are trapped underneath the surface for many years where they are compressed into energy such as coal or oil. In addition they are used as energy during the industrial movement which spread carbon monoxide/dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.

What did he compare humans to in his ecosystem? What made us different from that organism?

He compared us to the shrimp inside the fish bowl. The difference was that we have reasoning and logic towards our environment, while the shrimp followed their routine of eating, and depositing waste.

What point was Carl Sagan making in the article the "World that Came in the Mail"

His intention was to show humans that if they care for their environment, then the environment will return the favor by providing humans resources.

What is a population?

Individual species of a single species that share the same geographical location of the same time.

What are the differences between the methods of modeling, observing and experimenting?

Modeling consists of computer model programing and math models. Experimentation consists of controlled indoor and field experiments. Observation consists of direct surveys of animals and indirect surveys for difficult species.

Cycles in the Biosphere

Natural processes are required to support the functions of an ecosystem along with the biomes of the Earth. In addition towards this process matter is not destroyed but recycled and reused to support the life forms acquiring it.

What are the population growth formulas?

Net production rate= birth rate - death rate Population growth over time= G= rN (N= number in population)

Describe the process of the nitrogen cycle. Define nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.

Nitrogen enters the soil through atmospheric fixation. As the nitrogen enters the soil, nitrogen fixation bacteria converts the nitrogen gas into ammonia. After the ammonia is released, it transforms into ammonium due to extra hydrogen ions. As the ammonium spreads, it is absorbed by bacteria who undergo nitrification to convert the ammonium into nitrates. Nitrates later on are absorbed by plants who convert them into amino acids/ proteins. Afterward animals eat the plant, decomposers break down the animals waste or body and nitrogen reenters the soil as ammonium through ammonification. Therefore bacteria that process through denitrification use nitrate as oxygen source for releasing nitrogen gas into the atmosphere as waste. Once again as nitrogen roams the atmospthere, it undergoes atmospheric fixation by shooting into the soil by lightning and continues the cycle.

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen is the main source of amino acids that supply plants the right amount to allow organism to consume them. In order to pass on the proteins that is required to survive. This cycle is processed through nitrogen fixation which captures the gas form of nitrogen. By that capturing nitrogen is absorbed into plants. Another method for plants to gain nitrogen was through fertilization that are applied regularly by organisms. When dead organisms decompose their matter is transformed into ammonia which are later converted into nitrogen by plants through denitrification.

Why is nitrogen important to humans?

Nitrogen provides human with the consumption of plants and animals whereas they gain the nitrogen through the fertilizer by converting nitrogen into ammonium for the soil.

Introduced species

Nonnative species that are either intentionally or unintentionally transported to a new habitat.

What is the difference between an organic and inorganic molecule?

Organic molecules are consisted of carbon-hydrogen bonds which are found in living things, while inorganic molecules are found in noniving objects.

What gases make up the air/atmosphere we breathe and what are their percentages?

Our atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% of argon, carbon dioxide, water vapor and traces of hydrogen, methane, ozone, carbon monoxide, helium, neon, krypton and xenon

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is essential through the growth process of organisms. During the short term process, phosphorus as phosphates in solutions is transferred from the soil towards producers then from the producers towards consumers. Therefore after the consumers digested waste is deposited, phosphorus is returned towards the soil. In the long term cycle, phosphorus is deposited towards the soil through the erosion of sediments or precipitation. By doing so, the producers are limited towards their growth.

Pioneer Species

Plants are the first organisms that occupy in the disrupted area who responsible for secondary succession.

Define primary succession, pioneer species, secondary succession, and climax community.

Primary succession is the establishment and process of an ecosystem in an area that used to be uninhabited. Pioneer species are organisms that are the first to live in a uninhabited area. Secondary succession is the rebirth of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left alone. A climax community is a stabled community of diverse species.

Nonrenewable resources

Resources found on Earth that take long periods of time to develop, which are consumed faster than their development processes.

Renewable resources

Resources that are replaced by natural processes faster than they consumed.

Rivers/Streams

Rivers/streams originate from headwaters. Therefore as the water flows through the rivers/streams; it enters into a lake carrying sediment while the water is transported. Thus another route the water may flow was into the Mouth of the ocean which consists of the Estuary region.

Endemic

Species that are found in that specific geographic area and critical levels of habitat loss.

Tolerance

The ability of an organism to adapt toward new abiotic/biotic factors.

Predation

The action of one organism eating another organism for food.

Species diversity

The amount of different species and the relative abundance of each species in a biological community.

Emigration

The amount of individuals leaving their population towards another population.

Immigration

The amount of individuals that are entering into a new population.

Population density

The amount of organisms per unit of area. For example the population of cattle egrets with the water buffalo has a greater amount near them than farther away.

Climate

The average weather conditions within an area.

What is photosynthesis? Why is this process important to the Carbon and Oxygen cycle?

The chemical reaction where plants use water and carbon dioxide to store the sun's energy as glucose. This process allows the plant to store the glucose as an organic matter conserved with carbon which allows organism to consume it through food chains allowing the carbon to become released into the atmosphere by their waste or decomposition. In addition it allows the plants to release oxygen after respiration while undergoing photosynthesis and absorbing carbon dioxide.

Symbiosis

The close relationship that exists between two or more species living together.

What is the difference between the independent and the dependent variable?

The dependent variable represents the amount measured while the independent variable shows the same quantity given in the experiment.

Latitude

The distance of any point on the surface of Earth north/south from the equator.

Extinction

The elimination of an entire species .

Describe the flow of energy through an ecosystem. What is an open system?

The energy flow through an ecosystem is by photosynthesis which occurs in plants, afterward animals eat from them along with other organisms that consume those animals gaining energy through each organism consumed. An open system is a wide range area which can be demonstrated through a food web/chain. Which consist of scavengers, and predators preying.

Primary Succession

The establishment of a community toward an area with untouched soil.

What are 4 possible causes of disruption in an ecosystem?

The four possible causes of a disruption are abiotic and biotic factors, keystone species, along with biodiversity.

Name 4 sources of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.

The four sources of released carbon dioxide are deforestation, burning of fossil fuels for energy, volcanic eruptions, and human activities.

Background Extinction

The gradual process of species becoming extinct.

What is the greenhouse effect? What gas is the main contributor to this phenomenon?

The greenhouse effect is when carbon dioxide, water, methane molecules are absorb energies reradiated from Earth's surface and slows the release of this energy through the atmosphere.

What are the levels of organization?

The levels of organization are organisms, population, biological community, ecology, biome, and biosphere,

Natural Resources

The materials and organisms found in the biosphere, which include minerals, fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, plants, animals, soil, clean water, clean air, and solar energy.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum amount of individuals in a species that an environment can support for the long term.

Define biogeochemical cycle?

The movement of a chemical through the biological and geological, living/nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Age Structure

The number of males/females in each of three age groups: pre-reproductive stage, reproductive stage, and post-reproductive stage.

Secondary Succession

The orderly/predictable change that occurs toward a community whereas the species have been removed, leaving the soil intact.

What is the original energy source for all sides of the energy pyramid?

The original energy source of the energy pyramid is the sun.

What pattern of growth will a population with limited resources display?

The pattern will be depopulation since there aren't enough resources to supply a large population.

Denitrification

The process of converting ammonia into nitrogen by plants.

Permafrost

The process of the underground soil to be frozen located in areas of the Arctic Tundra biome. For example regions of North Alaska, North Canada, and North Siberia are known to undergo this process.

Water Cycle

The process of water being transferred through different stages. Due to the sun, water undergoes evaporation/transpiration which allows it to become in a gas form through the air. As the water reaches towards the atmosphere, it starts to cool towards the state of being liquid again. Which is expressed through precipitation as the water sinks down as rain. The precipitated water can either sink towards the oceans, or become absorbed through the soil towards the groundwater. Therefore the cycle to occur repeatedly as long as water is provides.

What is the purpose of a control in an experiment?

The purpose is have a normal condition while observing the difference towards the changing variable.

Ecological Succession

The replacement of one community toward another due to the fluctuations of abiotic/biotic factors.

Biogeochemical cycle

The reused matter through the biosphere.

What is a niche

The role/position that an organism has in its environment.

Habitat fragmentation

The separation of an ecosystem into small pieces of land.

Tropic levels

The steps within a food web/chain. For example, autotrophs are the first level, following through with heterotrophs that consume the autotroph organism.

Demography

The study of human populations size, density, distribution, movement, and birth/death rates.

Biomass

The total living matter at each tropic level, which decreases as the levels ascend up.

What two forms of nitrogen are useable by plants?

The two forms are nitrates and ammonium,

Biomediation

The use of living organisms such as prokaryotes, fungi, plants, to detoxify a polluted area.

Ecosystem diversity

The variety of ecosystems that are demonstrated through the biosphere.

Genetic Diversity

The variety of genes/inheritable characteristics that are shown in population compromises.

Biodiversity

The variety of life within an area that is demonstrated through the amount of different species in that region.

Benthic zone

The zone is along the ocean floor, that consists of sand, silt, and dead organisms. Life within this zone are fishes, octopuses, and squids.

Open Ocean ecosystems

The zones that divide the open ocean ecosystems are seen through the highest layer is the photic zone, continuing through the aphotic zone, benthic zone, and the deepest layer which is the abyssal zone.

Edge Effects

These effects are different environmental conditions that occur along the boundaries of an ecosystem.

Alphine Tundra

These regions are located on the highest mountain ranges around the world. Life within these areas, are plant shrubs, dwarf trees, seasonal plants. While the animals consists of elks, goats, wolves, and bears.

Eutrophic lakes

These types of lakes are located within regions of low altitudes. Large amounts of animals/plants survive due to the huge bundles of organic matter/nutrients.

The three zones of lakes/ponds

These zones within lakes/ponds consists of the littoral zones being the highest, limnetic zone the middle, and profundal zone the deepest within these regions.

Wetlands

This area is seen through as swamps, which consists of dead matter and large amounts of reptilians, birds, etc. In addition the climate within this region is hot.

Taiga (Boreal) Forests

This biome consists of cold climates which is warmer than the arctic, but this area still gains large amounts of snow in the winter. In addition this region has small warm summers. This region is located in parts of North U.S., South Canada across Europe, and Asia. Plant life within this region consists of pine trees, conifers, flowering trees, while the animals consists of varied bears, elks, moose, rabbits, wolves, lynx, and etc.

Desert

This biome exists on every continent except Europe. Their annual rate of evaporation exceeds precipitations, which leads to a wide variety of plants/animals. The climate consists of high temperatures during the day, but their temperatures are very low at night.

Tropical Seasonal Forests

This biome is grown in regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and South/Central America.

Temperate Forests

This biome is known to be warmer than the Taiga, by allowing thick forests, fertile soils, and plentiful rains to interact. Life within this region is supplied by maple elms, Aspen (broad-leaf trees), squirrels, skunks, deers, mountain lions, bears, bobcats, red panda, and badgers.

Tropical Rain Forests

This biome is known to have large amounts of annual rainfall. This region is located Central/South America, Southern Asia, Western Africa, and Northeastern Australia. This area is known to have infinite amounts of diversity consisting of animals/plants.

Freshwater Ecosystems

This ecosystem includes ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands. Only 2.5% of freshwater is found on Earth. 68.9% of freshwater is located within glaciers, 30.8% is found in ground water, and only 0.3% in lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Sketch a carrying capacity graph. Describe what this graph means.

This graph represents maximum number of individuals of a particular species that the environment can normally and consistently support.

Zero Population growth

This growth occurs when the birthrates equals the death rates.

Eutropication

This process occurs when fertilizers, animal waste, sewage, or other substances rich in nitrogen/phosphorus flow into waterways. Which cause extensive algae growth which suffocate other organisms within the ocean.

Population Growth Rate

This rate explains how fast a given population grows.

Oligotrophic

This region also known as nutrient-poor lakes are found in high altitudes of mountains. Few plants/animals are present due to the small bundles of organic matter/nutrients.

Arctic Tundra

This region is known to be extremely cold annually, despite the Summer's temperatures that barely supply enough warm for plants to grow. Plants in this region are short while the animals migrate or survive within months by consuming limited amounts of food.

Temperate grassland

This region is known to have a history consisting of warm summers, and cool winters. This area consists of grasslands, due to the lack of annual rainfall which prevent the grasslands from becoming forests. This biome is located in North/South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Abyssal zone

This region is the deepest within the ocean. The climate in this zone are very cold, Life within this region is unknown due to the lack of exploration.

Steppes

This type of grassland is known to be dry and located in North America, Europe, and Mongolia. These areas experience hot dry summers, cold winters, and a modern glazing land.

Temperate woodlands/shrubland

This woodland biome are found in areas with less yearly rainfall than temperate forests. For example this region is located in areas surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, western coasts of North/South America, South Africa, and Australia.

Photic zone

This zone is at a depth of 200 meters pf the pelegaic. Which is also called the euphotic zone. This region consists of shallow water, penetrable sunlight, Life within this zone consists of surface seaweeds, plankton, many species of fish, sea turtles, jellyfish, whales, and dolphins.

Aphotic zone

This zone is impenetrable to sunlight, due to the increase of depth. The climate within this region is constant darkness, generally cold, and thermal layering which consists of a mixture of cold/warm ocean currents.

Littoral zone

This zone is known to be closest to the shore which is seen as shallow water. Sunlight is allowed to reach the bottom. Life within this zone consists of aquatic plants/algae which produced large amounts of photosynthesis. The animals that dwell in this zone consists of frogs, turtles, worms, crustaceans, insect larvae, and fish.

Limnetic Zone

This zone is located in a open water area that is dominated by plankton. Plankton are free floating photosynthetic autotrophs that live in freshwater/marine ecosystems.

Profundal zone

This zone is located in the deepest areas of large lakes. The climate within this region is colder/lower in oxygen than the other two zones. The supplements of light within this area is impenetrable which limits the amounts of species to survive.

What are trophic levels? Define the following terms; primary producer, first order consumer, second order consumer and a tertiary consumer.

Tropic levels are groups of organisms whose feeding source is the same number of steps from the sun. Primary producer is the main producer such as plants who provide energy for organism to consume them. First order consumers are organisms that feed off the plant. Secondary consumers are the organisms that feed off the animal that fed off the plant. A tertiary consumer such as a carnivore consumes the organism that ate a organism who ate a plant.

Sustained use

Using resources at a rate in which they can be replaced or recycled while preserving the long-term environmental health of the biosphere.