Biology Unit 1: Ecosystems Overview

Unit 1: The Living World - Ecosystems

• Ecosystem Components: Biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors.
• Biomes: Defined by temperature and precipitation; examples include rainforests, deserts, and tundras.
• Energy Flow: Producers (autotrophs), consumers (heterotrophs), and decomposers. Energy transfers through food chains/webs, with a 10% rule for energy decrease up trophic levels. Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Net Primary Productivity (NPP).
• Matter Cycling: Includes the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation), carbon cycle (photosynthesis, respiration, fossil fuels, ocean absorption), nitrogen cycle (fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, denitrification), and phosphorus cycle (sedimentary process, no atmospheric phase).
• Trophic Levels: Producers → Primary consumers → Secondary consumers → Tertiary consumers.
• Keystone Species: Species essential for ecosystem stability whose removal has significant effects on the entire ecosystem.
• Trophic Cascades: Changes in top predators or prey levels impact lower levels in the food chain.
• Natural Biogeochemical Processes: Decomposition, weathering, sedimentation and energy sources like solar and chemical (chemosynthesis).

Unit 2: The Living World - Biodiversity

• Biodiversity Types: Genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
• Ecosystem Services: Provisioning (food, water, timber), regulating (climate control, water purification), cultural (recreation, aesthetics, spiritual), and Supporting (soil formation, nutrient cycling).
• Importance of Biodiversity: Resilience, ecosystem services, adaptability.
• Island Biogeography: Size and distance from mainland affect biodiversity.
• Edge Effects: Habitat fragmentation impacts species.
• Ecological Tolerance: Range of conditions an organism can withstand (e.g., temperature, salinity).
• Adaptations: Evolutionary traits allowing organisms to survive in specific environments. Specialists vs. Generalists (narrow vs. broad niches).
• Ecological Succession:
• Primary Succession: Starts with no soil (e.g., volcanic eruptions).
• Secondary Succession: Soil is present initially (e.g., after forest fires).
• Climax Communities: Stable, final stage of succession.

Unit 3: Populations

• Generalists vs. Specialists: Generalists have broad ranges of conditions, while specialists have narrow niches and specific needs.
• K-Selected vs. r-Selected Species: K-selected species have few offspring and high parental care, while r-selected species have many offspring and little parental care.
• Survivorship Curves (Types I, II, III): Describe the pattern of survival throughout the lifespan of a species.
• Carrying Capacity: The maximum population size an environment can support.
• Population Growth & Resource Use:
• Exponential Growth (J-shaped curve): Rapid increase in population size.
• Logistic Growth (S-shaped curve): Population growth slows as it approaches the carrying capacity.
• Age Structure Diagrams: Depict the age distribution of a population.
• Human Population Dynamics: Birth rates, death rates, immigration, emigration, and stages of demographic transitions.
• Impact of Population Growth: Strain on resources, pollution, urbanization, habitat loss, and heat islands.

Explore the fundamentals of ecosystems in this quiz covering vital components like biotic and abiotic factors, biomes, energy flow, and matter cycling. Understand trophic levels, the role of keystone species, and the intricacies of various ecological cycles. Test your knowledge and deepen your understanding of the living world.