Biology Unit 9
living organisms, mineral nutrients, oxygen, water, energy
Five things an ecosystem needs to survive are:
greenhouse effect
Greenhouse gases trap radiation from the sun, thereby heating the earth. This is referred to as the _____.
The more fossil fuels that are burned, the more carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere, more than can theoretically be absorbed by plants or the ocean
How does the burning of fossil fuel affect the carbon cycle?
Consumers eat them and Decomposers decompose them.
How is energy transferred from one organism to another?
destruction of habitat, pollution, over-harvesting
In which of the following ways are animals in coral reefs and the ocean threatened?
atmosphere; photosynthetic; nitrogen; bacteria
Nitrogen and carbon cycles both cycle through the _______ into ecosystems and back into the atmosphere. Carbon uses _____ organisms, while nitrogen uses ________ -fixing _______ on plants.
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, pebbles, water
What are some possible abiotic factors of an ecosystem?
living things and once-living things
What constitutes the biotic factors of an ecosystem?
nitrogen oxides
What is released during burning that causes acid rain?
Chances of survival increase because the species is part of all the important relationships it needs for ultimate survival.
What is the advantage of protecting entire ecosystems rather than individual species?
legumes
What type of plants do nitrogen-fixing bacteria live on?
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Which microorganisms are vital to the nitrogen cycle?
use non-chemical alternatives, use fewer pesticides and fertilizers
Which of the following actions do you think humans can do to reduce pollutants in runoff?
producers
Which of the following converts energy from the sun into a form usable by all other forms of life?
plants, temperature, precipitation
Which of the following determines a biome?
Soil is formed from bacteria and lichen on rocks on bare land after a glacier melts, Plants break through cracks and crevices in concrete areas that are not maintained.
Which of the following happen in primary succession?
establishing more open spaces and regulations
Which of the following is the responsibility of government to save habitats?
mosses, bacteria, lichens
Which of the following organisms are involved in primary succession?
nekton, benthos, decomposers, plankton
Which of the following organisms live in aquatic ecosystems?
trophic pyramid
Which of the following shows how energy is lost from one trophic level to the next?
Larger plants require a larger amount of precipitation.
Which of the following statements is true about precipitation affecting plant growth in an area?
using less fuels
Which of these is an individual effort for saving a habitat?
they receive a lot of nutrients and a lot of sunlight
Why are estuaries productive?
Temperate deciduous forests have more diversity because more sunlight is able to penetrate to the forest floor
Why do temperate deciduous forests have more diversity than temperate rain forests?
lichens
______ do not need soil to live and they help break down rocks and contribute nutrients to the soil as they die
Pioneer species
_______________ make an area more livable for other species that will follow them.
mutualism
a close relationship in which two different species provide a benefit to each other
biome
a large area with a specific climate and certain types of plant and animal communities
competition
a relationship between two species who attempt to use the same limited resource
predation
a relationship in which one organism eats another organism
parasitism
a relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism and feeds off that organism
commensalism
a relationship in which one species benefits from another species and that species is neither harmed nor helped
symbiosis
a relationship in which two organisms live in close association with each other
butterfly effect
a small effect or thing can have a large impact
store water in thick waxy stems
adaptations to desert
thick fur, live underground
adaptations to taiga
population
all the members of one species living together in the same place at the same time
ecosystem
all the organisms living together in their physical environment in a certain area
community
all the populations of all the different species living together in the same ecosystem, interacting with each other
estuary
an area where rivers meet the ocean, or freshwater mixes with saltwater
Littoral zone
area of a lake or pond closest to the shore; home of plants, such as algae, and animals
benthic zone
at the bottom of a pond or lake; home of decomposers, insect larvae, and filter feeders
benthos
bottom-dwelling organisms in water; they are often attached to hard surfaces
biodiversity
contributes to genetic diversity and has medicinal, agricultural, and industrial uses
RNA, DNA, and amino acids
nitrogen is important because it is a part of:
secondary succession
occurs in areas where an ecosystem previously existed.
primary succession
occurs in areas where no ecosystems have occurred before. This includes rocks, cliffs, and sand dunes.
Decomposers
organisms that break down dead and decaying matter
niche
the unique role a species plays in its ecosystem that includes its physical home, the environmental factors it needs to survive, and all its interactions with other species in the same ecosystem
runoff
the water that does not soak into the ground when it rains and then "runs off," normally to a sewer system or a river or ocean
false
true or false: Lichens need soil.
true
true or false: Pioneer species may depend upon lichens to build the soil
true
true or false: Pioneer species need soil, but not as much and not as good quality as the species that follow them.
false
true or false:Lichens depend on pioneer species
rivers, wetlands, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps
types of freshwater ecosystems
old-field and fire succession
types of secondary succession
keystone species
vital species in an ecosystem
nekton
the free-swimming organisms in water
carrying capacity
the number of a particular species that an ecosystem can support
biodiversity
the numbers and variety of different species in a given area
habitat
the place that an organism lives
carbon cycle
the process in which carbon is cycled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms
nitrogen cycle
the process in which nitrogen is transferred between the atmosphere, bacteria, and other organisms
ecological succession
the process of change during which the species in a community are established or replaced
phosphorous cycle
the process of phosphorous moving from the environment to living organisms and back into the environment
false
True or false: Lichens and pioneer species are the last to arrive in an ecosystem.
carbon dioxide; greenhouse; ecosystems
Burning fossil fuels puts an excess amount of _______ in the atmosphere. This increases the _________ effect which could also affect ________ around the world
pyramid of numbers
A ______________ might have producers on the top, rather than on the bottom because one tree, a producer, could be home to 50,000 insects
food web
A _______________ shows all the organisms of an ecosystem and what each organism might eat, as well as what eats them.
species
A group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring
food webs
An ecosystem's different eating relationships at all different levels are shown by _______
organism
An individual living thing
omnivores
Animals that eat both plants and animals
carnivore
Animals that eat only other animals.
herbivores
Animals that eat plants only.
altitude; latitude
Another factor that characterizes biomes is _______ and ___________
cell membranes, RNA, bones, DNA, teeth
Phosphorous is important to living things because it is in:
commensalism and mutualism
Symbiosis overlaps both ______ and _______, because they both involve a close relationship between two species
pollution
The single largest threat against a river ecosystem is ___________.
phytoplankton; reproduce; oxygen; aquatic; die
extra nutrients from runoff water makes algae and ___________ extremely happy and they _________ like crazy, causing an algae bloom. Algae blooms can deplete __________ in __________ systems, causing fish and other oxygen dependent organisms to __________.
temperate rain forest, tropical rain forest, temperate deciduous forest, taiga
forest biomes
provide mud for bricks, trap and filter sediments, nutrients, and pollutants, provide habitats for many threatened and endangered species, buffer shorelines against erosion
functions of wetlands
chaparral, temperate grasslands, tundra, savannas, desert
grassland biomes
coastal areas, tropical rain forests, islands
hot spots of biodiversity
They help prevent flooding, The generally negate the harmful effects of garbage on ecosystems, and They provide clean drinking water.
how do wetlands affect humans?
Latitude
how far north or south something is from the equator
altitude
how high something is above sea level
Coral reefs, oceans, Coastal wetlands
marine ecosystems
plankton
protists that float near the surface of the water
threatened species
species that are declining in numbers and are likely to become endangered, if protective measures are not taken
endangered species
species that are likely to become extinct, if protection measures are not taken
food chain
starts with a producer and then shows organisms eating other organisms, with arrows flowing in one direction of what eats what
phosphorus
the ___________ cycle is different because ________ is not found in the atmosphere
carbon
the element of life; it is found in every living or once-living organism.
climax community
the final and stable community of an ecosystem
pioneer species
the first plants and animals to inhabit a newly available ecosystem
