Ecology, Photosynthesis, and Cellular Respiration

How has the human population growth impacted the environment?

Negatively - deforestation, loss of resources like fresh water, loss of biodiversity, contamination of soil, air and oceans.

What other elements get cycled through the ecosystem besides Carbon?

Nitrogen, phosphorus, water,

What is an abiotic factor? Give examples.

"A" means non, so abiotic are the non-living things in the environment that living things depend on. Soil, water, sunlight, rocks, minerals, wind, heat.

Give an example of a decomposer.

Bacteria, fungi.

What does a food web look like?

A food web is a chart with arrows that shows the movement of energy at different feeding levels. Producers are at the bottom and it moves up from primary, secondary and tertiary consumers with an apex predator at the top.

What is meant by the term limiting factors? Give an example for our aquatic ecosystem.

A limiting factor is the resource that is in the shortest supply. It is what the population will run out of first. If there is a limited amount of phosphorus, then there will be a limited amount of algae, because the algae depends on the phosphorus to live.

What is meant by the term niche? Give an example of two organisms in our aquatic ecosystem that have the same niche.

A niche is the "job" each organism does in the ecosystem. For example, bees pollinate the flowers. Pill bugs break down dead leaves so decomposers can process them. Bacteria then recycle the nutrients.

Name a primary, secondary, and tertiary consumer from the diagram provided.

A primary consumer would be a cricket because he eats maple leaves. A secondary would be a lizard because he eats the cricket, and a tertiary consumer would be a fox, because he would eat the lizard.

Matter cannot be...

Created or destroyed, but it can be recycled.

What is an invasive species? Give an example of an invasive species in the Great Lakes. How does it impact the food web?

A species that has been brought to an area from somewhere else. They cause harm to the environment by using up the resources for the native species. If the native species die, there may be no species left to carry out a particular job (niche) like pollinating. An example would be zebra mussels.

What is a keystone species?

A species upon which many in the ecosystem rely. Elephants are an example because they act as the "architects of the ecosystem." They dig water holes and clear paths that other species use. When they disappear, the other species suffer.

What molecule is like our body's battery pack? What process charges it?

ATP - cellular respiration

In which living organism does cellular respiration occur?

All living things undergo cellular respiration. Not all organisms need oxygen though. If they are using oxygen, it is called aerobic respiration. If it is without oxygen, it is called anaerobic fermentation.

Why is some prey worthwhile to hunt, while others are not?

Animals require a certain amount of daily energy to maintain their metabolism. If it takes more energy to catch the prey than the calories they get from digesting it, it may not be worth it. This is why many animals hunt large prey in groups.

How is carrying capacity usually shown on a population graph?

As a straight, dotted line. It indicates the highest the population can rise before putting too much pressure on other species and depleting resources.

Why is there so little energy available at the top of an energy pyramid?

As each consumer feeds on the lower level, the energy in the food they eat gets used up for normal life processes. Only about 10% of the energy is stored in the chemical bonds of the consumer. The other 90% is lost as heat to the environment.

What role does bacteria play in a food web?

Bacteria is a decomposer in a food web. It breaks down the dead organic matter and recycles the carbon so that it can be used again by the producers.

What is a biotic factor? Give some examples of biotic factors.

Bio means life, so biotic factors are living things in the environment upon which species depend. Food, pollinators, decomposers, producer, consumer. Anything living or once living.

What are the products of cellular respiration?

Carbon dioxide and water and energy stored in ATP

What are the reactants (what you need to make a reaction happen) of photosynthesis?

Carbon dioxide, water and energy are the reactants in photosynthesis.

What is meant by the term carrying capacity. Give an example for our aquatic ecosystem.

Carrying capacity is the maximum population that the ecosystem can support. For example, if there is too much algae, it will use up all available resources and die.

What takes sugar and turns it into energy (stored in ATP)

Cellular Respiration

Why was it important to have a decomposer in the closed ecosystem jars?

Decomposers break down waste, making the elements reusable. They are important for the nitrogen cycle to convert the nitrogen compounds into a usable form for the plants.

Besides Carbon dioxide, what is a source of carbon for plants?

Decomposition

What is the difference between a decomposer and a detritivore?

Detritivores feed on dead material, decomposers chemically break down dead material.

How efficiently does energy flow through this diagram? (How much energy is lost at each level? Where does the energy go?)

Energy flows at a 10% efficient rate (a 90% loss of energy per level is lost to the environment as heat)

In which way does energy flow through this diagram?

Energy is flowing from the bottom to the top of the diagram. The arrowhead always points in the direction of the energy flow.

Where do food chains, food webs or energy pyramids get the energy in the first place?

From the sun. The producers convert the solar energy into chemical energy. Then, when eaten, the digestion process breaks the chemical bonds, releasing the energy to the consumer.

What are the products of photosynthesis?

Glucose (or other carbohydrates like starches), Water and Oxygen. Oxygen is a byproduct that is then used for respiration

What would happen if the alligator lizard was removed from this system?

If the alligator lizard was removed, then the cricket, insect larvae, and pill bugs would be overpopulated. That in turn would put additional pressure on the producers

How has the burning of fossil fuels impacted the environment?

It adds greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor to the atmosphere. This has caused global warming and ocean acidification.

How has the human population changed since the industrial revolution?

It has grown exponentially

What happens if any feeding (trophic) level becomes overpopulated in a food web?

It negatively effects the levels above and below. Overpopulation leads to rapid consumption of available resources. Once the resources have been used up, the population crashes.

Why are energy diagrams in the shape of a pyramid?

Most of the energy to an ecosystem is available at the producer level. The wide base of the pyramid represents this, along with the higher population size at the lower levels.

What are the 3 types of symbiosis?

Mutualism - both benefit Commensalism - one benefits Parasitism - one benefits, one is harmed.

Name 3 ways humans are impacting ecosystems in a negative way.

Over fishing,reducing biodiversity, and bring in invasive species

What are the reactants of cellular respiration?

Oxygen and glucose are both reactants in the cellular respiration process.

What takes carbon dioxide and turns it into sugars and starches?

Photosynthesis

Where does photosynthesis take place?

Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts of plants (autotrophs). The pigments in the chloroplasts absorb the sunlight.

What is the connection between photosynthesis/respiration and the carbon cycle?

Photosynthesis takes the carbon out of the atmosphere, respiration puts it back

Give an example of a detritivore.

Pill bugs, centipedes, worms.

Name a producer. What can a producer do that a consumer cannot?

Plants/algae are producers which means they are autotrophs. Autotrophs can produce their own food by using light energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis. Consumers cannot produce their own food, therefore they are called heterotrophs.

How is lower pH in the oceans affecting sea life?

Sea life that needs to build shells is not able to so they die. This impacts the whole food web and can result in ecosystem collapse.

How does photosynthesis relate to cellular respiration?

The products of photosynthesis (sugars and oxygen) are used in respiration to provide energy for life. The CO2 from respiration is used by the plants for photosynthesis.

What does the word sustainable mean? Why is it important that we all take action to achieve this? Give examples of things you could do.

Sustainable means to maintaining an ecological balance (homeostasis) by avoiding the depletion of natural resources. It will take everyone's cooperation to avoid the depletion of limited resources like fresh water. You can limit your energy use, water use, eat less meat, carpool, plant trees, recycle, use less plastic, throw away fewer things.

How does cellular respiration relate to photosynthesis?

The carbon dioxide given off during respiration is used by the plants during photosynthesis.

What is the function of cellular respiration?

The function is to release the stored energy found in the bonds of sugars and starches to power life. Both plants and animals break down sugars using oxygen, and store the energy in a ATP molecule.

What is diffusion?

The movement of materials from an area where they are highly concentrated to an area where there is a low concentration.

How have rising carbon dioxide levels impacted the oceans?

The pH of the water is dropping, causing some species to die. The warming has changed ocean currents which impacts weather and climate. Global warming has caused the ice sheets to melt. This raises the sea level, flooding out coastal areas and lowering the salinity of the water.

How is carbon cycled through the ecosystem?

Through photosynthesis, respiration and decomposition. Photosynthesis builds carbon molecules from CO2 in the air, respiration releases them back into the atmosphere and decomposers put carbon back into the soil.

What is the function of photosynthesis?

To convert sunlight into chemical energy that would support the food web. Plants take this energy, along with carbon dioxide and water, and build carbon compounds - sugars and starches. The energy is stored in the bonds of the sugars and starches that are then used for cellular respiration.

What is symbiosis?

When two species live together.

Where do animals (humans) get our Calories (kilocalories) from?

When we digest food, the chemical bonds are broken which releases the stored energy. 1 gram of carbohydrates or proteins gives us about 4 Calories of energy. 1 gram of lipids give us about 9 Calories.

How does the oxygen get into our cells in order to undergo respiration? What body systems are involved.

When we inhale, oxygen enters our lungs. The oxygen moves into our bloodstream by diffusion and it is pumped to cells throughout our body. The oxygen moves from our blood to our cells by diffusion. We rely on our respiratory and circulatory system for these processes.

Is it possible for the carrying capacity of the population to fall?

Yes, if there is a change in the available resources. This often happens when populations rise above the carrying capacity.

Put the following in order from simple to most complex: biosphere, atom, tissue, organelle, cell, molecule, organ, organism, body system, community, biome, population, ecosystem.

atom, molecule, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere.

Where does cellular respiration take place?

mitochondria

In which living organism does photosynthesis occur?

plants and algae -autotrophs