Chapter 4
Consumers, or heterotrophs, take in food made by other organisms. Then they break apart the food to release its energy. How do these actions of consumers contribute to the carbon cycle?
Eating and breaking apart food releases carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
Percolation
groundwater moving in the saturated zone below the earth's surface
decomposers
feed on small pieces of dead and decaying plants and animals -organisms that eat dead matter and recycle nutrients for food chains
Nutrient limitation soil
have a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium farmers spray pesticides
Geological processes
forming rock, break down through erosion
Deposition
gas to solid
scavengers
go off on already dead animals consume carcasses
ground water discharge
ground water goes into
Human Activity
mining burning fossil fuels
Heterotroph
must acquire energy from other organisms; considered consumers official name for organisms that need to eat
Food webs
network of complex feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem
Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are examples of Choose...that organisms need to stay alive. Nitrogen can be the Choose...in an ecosystem when its available forms are in short supply.
nutrients; limiting nutrient
herbivores
obtain energy by eating plants
omnivores
obtain energy by eating plants and animals
Why can't the producers in some ecosystems make an unlimited supply of organic material?
one or more nutrients are in short supply
Energy pyramid
only a small amount of energy gets transferred on to each organism because organisms use that energy as they eat.
In the open ocean, tiny organisms called Choose... perform photosynthesis. They are the primary producers in many Choose... that overlap to form a(n) Choose...
phytoplankton; food chains; food web
In this food web, what is represented by the chains of arrows from the grass to the fox?
the one-way flow of energy through the ecosystem
ecology
the study of ecosystems
Agricultural runoff
when runoff of fertilizers in plants run into oceans water there are too much nitrogen and phosphorus. Algae will bloom and algal bloom will disrupt ecosystems.
Recycling in the Biosphere
while energy flows one way through an ecosystem, matter is constantly recycled within the system
Transpiration
water from plants evaporates into the atmosphere
Runoff
water from sky runs into body of water
Decomposer and Detritivores...
are always there even when you don't think of it; they act as recyclers
The Water Cycle
water moving through different stages ocean, land, atmosphere -evaporation, precipitation, condensation
Water impact carbon cycle
water raining can dissolve carbon in the air
10% rule
10% of energy moves from one trophic level to the next
Which statements accurately relate photosynthesis to the other processes of the carbon cycle shown in the diagram? Select all of the correct statements.
-Photosynthesis is the only biological process that takes up carbon dioxide. -Photosynthesis is the only process that transfers carbon from the air to the biosphere.
Which of the claims below does this model support? Select all the claims that are supported.
-The number of trophic levels is limited, and typically is less than 10. -On average, about 10 percent of available energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. -Among consumers in an ecosystem, first-level consumers have the most available energy.
Nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems
-open ocean worst because their is no nutrients from land- no energy from sunlight -no nutrients from runoff and no energy from sunligth
Which of the following BEST describes how energy flows in this ecosystem?
About ten percent of the energy at one trophic level is passed to the next trophic level.
Gregory is studying Lake Mairead. The lake has clear water and supports a healthy community of algae, fishes, and other aquatic organisms. Gregory hypothesizes that phosphorus is a limiting nutrient in the lake. Which experimental result provides the strongest evidence in support of the hypothesis?
Adding phosphorus-rich fertilizer to a sample of lake water causes an increase in the growth of algae.
Which statements describe all primary producers?
All make energy rich compounds that can be used by other organisms.
precipitation
Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.
Scientists classify clams as consumers. Which observation about clams provides the strongest evidence for this classification?
Clams gain energy and nutrients by filtering particles from water.
photosynthesis
Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.
condensation
Gas to liquid
Ecological pyramid
Illustration that shows the relative amount of energy or matter contained in each trophic level -diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy, numbers or biomass at different trophic levels
Which part of the plant is the hardest to eat and why?
Leaves because it contains cellulose which is hard for many organisms to digest.
How can animals eat leaves?
Micro-organisms- symbiotic relationship helps digest leaves chewing on pulp- can mechanically digest complex digestive tract- adaptations
Which is one way that the movement of matter through an ecosystem is different from the transfer of energy?
Only the movement of matter occurs in an unending cycle.
What is the role of photosynthesis?
The role of photosynthesis in transferring carbon from the atmosphere to the biosphere.
algal bloom
When algae receives extra nutrients, has rapid growth, and dies. This can decrease oxygen levels in water and cause larger die offs.
nutrient
a chemical organisms need to sustain life
ecosystem
a community of organisms and their nonliving environment in an area
food chain
a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten. Food chains vary in level, but the Primary Producer is always the first step in the chain. -a one-way picture showing how the energy floes between organisms
Human activities
agricultural- when taking plants out they remove the whole- not able to decay
While it is important to recognize and categorize consumers, we cannot forget that nature is...
always changing
Why is nitrogen important?
amino acids-proteins nucleic acids-DNA/RNA
Moving through biosphere
animals decay and become part of ground- may turn into fossil fuels
Nutrient limitation
any nutrient that limits productivity in aquatic and land ecosystems
Gerald is studying the plants and animals of a meadow. He classifies the grasses and clover as Choose... because they make their own food through the process of Choose... . He classifies insects that feed on the clover as Choose... because he thinks they eat only plant matter, not animal matter.
autotrophs; photosynthesis; herbivores
The nitrogen cycle is an example of a(n) Choose...cycle. Its processes include the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, which is called Choose... Nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere in the process of Choose...
biogeochemical; nitrogen fixation; denitrification
Why can matter recycle through the biosphere because...
biological systems don't use up matter they transform it
What are the tree kinds of ecological pyramids?
biomass, numbers, and energy
human impact on carbon cycle
burn fossil fuels put carbon dioxide in air
defenestration
burning trees adding carbon to the atmosphere
Detritivores
feed on even smaller detritus particles -official name for organisms that eat dead matter
chemosynthesis
chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates -chemical process that uses chemical energy to make sugars
biosphere
earth and all living things on it
Biogeochemical Cycles
elements pass from one organism to another and among parts of the biosphere -cycles of nutrients that go through organisms and the planet
How are energy and nutrient movements in the ecosystem different?
energy is a one way flow and nutrients cycle
Phosphorous Cycle
essential for DNA and RNA abundant not in biosphere or atmosphere
Disturbance
if one organism is deleted/extinct the food web can change drastically depending on which organisms eat which
Where is nitrogen found?
in the atmosphere, wastes soil large water bodies, and dead decaying organic matter
Biological processes
involves living things-breeding taking and expelling waste
Carnivores
kill and eat other animals
Carbon Cycle
major component of all organic compound
Nitrogen Fixation
process in which nitrogen gas goes into ammonia found on the roots of the legume family plants absorb nitrate through bacteria -completed by special bacteria and converts nitrogen gas into nitrates
Sometimes organisms will even ____________ depending on their ---------.
recategorize; ecosystem
Carbon in marine sediments
sediment of carbon at bottom of ocean turn into rocks- from volcanoes- rocks and carbon gas can come out
Pyramid of Numbers
show the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem- look similar to pyramids of energy- both can be inverted
sublimation
solid to gas
Trophic level
step in a food chain or food web
What should an ecologist measure in order to construct a pyramid of biomass for an ecosystem?
the biomass in each trophic level of the food web
Berries and seeds are best to digest because...
they are easy to digest and are energy rich.
Biomass
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level -how organic matter is available
Carbon cycles through the biosphere in all the following processes except? decomposing plants and animals transpiration photosynthesis burning fossil fuels
transpiration
What part of the water cycle is a biological process?
transpiration
interception
trees stop the water from getting to the ground
denitrification
type soil that can take nitrates and put it back into the atmosphere
Autotrophs
use solar energy or chemical energy to produce food by assembling organic compounds into complex organic compounds
evaporation
water changes from liquid to gas
Chemical and Physical Processes
water changing form, lightiing
