Biology Ecosystems and Survivorship Quiz

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of bacteria in the digestive systems of animals?

Break down food and make vitamins (correct)

Assist in photosynthesis

Produce ATP for energy

Release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Which of the following is NOT a function of prokaryotes in ecosystems?

Recycle nutrients

Produce ATP (correct)

Fix nitrogen

Photosynthesize

Which size range correctly describes viruses?

5-150 nm

200-10,000 nm

50-200 nm (correct)

10,000-100,000 nm

What do viroids consist of?

RNA only Signup and view all the answers

What do viruses require to reproduce?

Host living cells Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following agents is considered a pathogen?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the main structural component of a virus?

Protein coat and genetic material Signup and view all the answers

Which process is an example of bioremediation?

Breaking down pollutants in the environment Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes Type I survivorship in populations?

Low level of infant mortality and an older population Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes the hydrologic cycle?

It outlines the movement of water through precipitation, evaporation, and transpiration. Signup and view all the answers

In which type of organisms would you expect to find Type II survivorship?

Birds and reptiles Signup and view all the answers

Which process is NOT involved in the oxygen cycle?

Nitrogen fixation Signup and view all the answers

What role do carbon sinks play in the carbon cycle?

They store carbon for long periods of time. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following life forms is commonly associated with Type III survivorship?

Invertebrates Signup and view all the answers

What component is essential for life and cycles within ecosystems?

Water Signup and view all the answers

How do carbon emissions primarily occur in the carbon cycle?

From the burning of fossil fuels Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of energy is typically transferred between trophic levels in an energy pyramid?

10% Signup and view all the answers

Which process is NOT a function of prokaryotes in ecosystems?

Cellular respiration Signup and view all the answers

In a pyramid of biomass, which trophic level has the highest biomass based on the provided data?

Producers Signup and view all the answers

What is bioremediation primarily used for in relation to bacteria?

Breaking down pollutants Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about the pyramid of numbers is true?

It illustrates the number of individual organisms at each trophic level. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic feature of an energy pyramid?

It shows the flow of energy among trophic levels. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of bacteria living in the digestive systems of animals?

Breaking down food and making vitamins Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a primary advantage of prokaryotes in ecosystems?

Recycling essential nutrients Signup and view all the answers

What relationship is described when one organism benefits while the other is harmed?

Parasitism Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following organisms are classified as ectoparasites?

Leeches Signup and view all the answers

Which feature differentiates eukaryotes from prokaryotes?

Enclosed DNA within the nucleus Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT one of the three domains of life?

Fungi Signup and view all the answers

How are organisms primarily classified into domains?

Based on cell type and structure Signup and view all the answers

Which kingdom is classified as unicellular and prokaryotic?

Bacteria Signup and view all the answers

How many kingdoms are contained within the three domains?

Six Signup and view all the answers

What is a common characteristic of prokaryotes?

Are unicellular Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary characteristic of viroids?

They are composed of single-stranded RNA. Signup and view all the answers

What role does a prion play in protein misfolding?

It causes other proteins to misfold. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of virus is characterized by a complex structure including a tail and spikes?

Bacteriophages Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the bacteriophage's tail sheath?

To contract and help inject DNA into the host cell. Signup and view all the answers

How do viruses differ from viroids and prions?

Viruses can infect both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of virus shape?

Spherical Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of surface proteins in a virus?

To help the virus attach to host cells. Signup and view all the answers

What type of organism do bacteriophages primarily infect?

Bacteria Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of taxonomy?

To name and classify organisms Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct order of classification levels from broadest to most specific?

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about binomial nomenclature is true?

The second part of the name identifies the species Signup and view all the answers

Which level of the classification system contains the fewest organisms?

Genus Signup and view all the answers

Why is the Latin language used in binomial nomenclature?

Latin is a dead language and doesn't change over time Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes a 'taxon'?

A group of organisms in a classification system Signup and view all the answers

In scientific naming, what is the proper format for writing the name of an organism, such as the white oak?

Quercus alba Signup and view all the answers

What does Linnaeus's system of classification prioritize?

Physical and structural similarities among organisms Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Community Interactions

Organisms interact as individuals and populations.
Competition and predation are important ways organisms interact.
Competition occurs when two organisms fight for the same limited resource.
- Intraspecific competition
- Interspecific competition
Predation occurs when one organism captures and eats another.
There are three major symbiotic relationships:
- Mutualism: both organisms benefit.
- Commensalism: one organism benefits, the other is unharmed.
  - Example: Eyelash mites on eyelashes. The mites benefit and the eyelashes are not affected.
- Parasitism: one organism benefits, the other is harmed.
  - Example: Braconid wasp larvae feed on the host hornworm, and the hornworm is killed.
  - Parasites can be ectoparasites (like leeches) or endoparasites (like hookworms).

Domains and Kingdoms

The current tree of life has three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya.
Six kingdoms are included in the three domains. Six kingdoms: Bacteria, Archaea, Protists, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia.
Organisms are classified into domains based on cell type and structure.
Organisms are classified into kingdoms based on cell type, structure and nutrition.
Prokaryotes lack a nucleus. Their DNA is not enclosed within a membrane-bound structure.
- Bacteria: cell walls contain peptidoglycan. Most abundant organism on the planet. Classified by shape, need for oxygen, and diseases caused. Bacteria come in three shapes: rod (bacilli), spiral, and spherical (cocci).
- Archaea: their cell walls do NOT contain peptidoglycan. They live in extreme environments, such as deep sea vents, hot geysers, Antarctic waters, and salt lakes.
Eukaryotes have a nucleus.
- Made up of all organisms with eukaryotic cells. Includes 6 kingdoms (Plantae, Animalia, Protista, Fungi). Some eukaryotes are single-celled (like protists), some are multicellular (like animals).

Pyramid Models

Energy pyramids show the distribution of energy among trophic levels.
Energy pyramids compare energy used by producers and other organisms.
Between each tier, up to 90% of the energy is lost as heat to the atmosphere.
Only 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.
Other pyramid models illustrate biomass and distribution of organisms.
Biomass is a measure of the total dry mass of organisms in a given area.
A pyramid of numbers shows the number of individual organisms at each trophic level.
A vast number of producers are required to support even a few top-level consumers.

Cycling of Matter

Water cycles through the environment in a circular pathway.
Organisms have bodies made mostly of water.
Elements essential for life cycle through ecosystems.
A biogeochemical cycle is the movement of a chemical through biological and geological parts of an ecosystem.
- Oxygen cycles indirectly through an ecosystem by cycling other nutrients. (photosynthesis and respiration)
- Carbon moves from the atmosphere, through the food web, and returns to the atmosphere. Some carbon remains stored in carbon sinks for long periods.
- The nitrogen cycle mostly takes place underground. Some bacteria convert gaseous nitrogen into ammonia through nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in plant nodules or freely in the soil. Ammonia is released into the soil, transformed into ammonium, then into nitrate by nitrifying bacteria. Nitrogen moves through the food web and returns to the soil during decomposition.
- The phosphorus cycle takes place at and below ground level. Phosphate is released into the environment by weathering of rocks. Phosphorus moves through the food web and returns to the soil during decomposition. Phosphorus leaches into groundwater, and is locked in sediments. Mining and agriculture add phosphorus to the environment.

Population and Growth Patterns

Changes in a population's size are determined by immigration, births, emigration, and deaths.
The size of a species' population is always changing.
Four factors affecting population size: immigration, emigration, births, and deaths.
Population growth is based on available resources.
Exponential growth is a rapid population increase due to an abundance of resources.
Logistic growth is due to limited resources; this type of growth eventually slows to a stop, reaching a carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals in a population that the environment can support.
A population crash is a dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short period.
Ecological factors can limit population growth, including factors that are density-dependent (predation, competition, parasitism, and disease) and density-independent (unusual weather, natural disasters, and human activities).

Viruses

Viruses have no structures to maintain—no membranes or organelles needing ATP, oxygen, or glucose.
All it carries into the cell is what it needs to reproduce—its genes.
Viruses, viroids, and prions can all cause infection.
A virus is made of DNA or RNA and a protein coat.
- A virus can infect many organisms.
- A virus needs a living cell to reproduce and to make proteins.
A viroid is made only of single-stranded RNA without a protein coat; it causes diseases in plants.
A prion is composed of proteins with no genetic material. These proteins misfold other proteins, causing diseases of the brain.
Viruses have a simple structure: genetic material, a capsid (protein shell) and sometimes a lipid envelope.
- Bacteriophages; a group of viruses that infect bacteria.
- Bacteriophages have a head (containing DNA), a tail sheath, and tail fibers to inject DNA into bacteria.
Viruses infect eukaryotes with endocytosis: viruses enter eukaryotic cells by forming vesicles, or membrane-bound sacs, around the molecules or by fusing with the plasma membrane of the host cell. Some viruses, such as HIV, target the cell's nucleus.
Viruses cause two types of infections: lytic (host cell bursts) and lysogenic (prophage reproduces with host DNA).
Vaccines prepare the immune system for a future attack. A vaccine stimulates the body's own immune response to a virus.

Linnaean System of Classification

Organisms can be classified based on similarities.
Linnaeus developed the scientific naming system currently used.
- Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying organisms.
- A taxon is a group of organisms.
- Binomial nomenclature gives each species a scientific name with two parts: genus and species.
- The genus name is always capitalized; the species descriptor is always lowercase.
- Linnaean taxonomy classifies organism’s based on their physical and structural similarities.
Organisms are placed into different levels in a hierarchy. Several distinct levels are nested in each one above it. From kingdom to species, levels progressively become more specific.
The Linnaean system has limitations in that it does not account for molecular evidence. Physical similarities don't always reflect evolutionary relationships; genetic similarities more accurately show relationships.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Test your knowledge on the roles of bacteria, prokaryotes, and viruses in ecosystems. This quiz covers fundamental concepts such as the hydrologic cycle, survivorship types, and biogeochemical cycles. Perfect for biology students looking to solidify their understanding of key ecological topics.