Ecology and Biogeochemical Cycles Quiz

Energy Flow and Trophic Levels

• Energy flows through food chains, but most of it is lost as heat, with only a small percentage being passed on to the next trophic level.
• Trophic levels are the different stages of energy transfer in a food chain, from producers to top carnivores.
• Energy pyramids, biomass pyramids, and number pyramids all show the decrease in energy, biomass, and number of organisms as you move up the trophic levels.

Water Cycle and Properties

• The water cycle involves the continuous movement of water between the Earth and the atmosphere.
• Water has unique properties, such as adhesion, cohesion, and polarity, which allow it to play a crucial role in many biological processes.
• Water has a high specific heat capacity, making it a universal solvent and allowing it to regulate Earth's temperature.

Biogeochemical Cycles

• Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, contribute to the disruption of biogeochemical cycles, such as the carbon and phosphorus cycles.
• The carbon cycle involves the movement of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere, oceans, and land.
• The phosphorus cycle involves the movement of phosphorus through the environment, with a key role played by bacteria.
• Ammonification and denitrification are important processes in the nitrogen cycle, involving the conversion of ammonia to nitrate and the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas.

Ecosystems and Ecology

• Biotic factors, such as living organisms, and abiotic factors, such as temperature and light, interact to shape ecosystems.
• Communities, populations, and ecosystems are all levels of organization in ecology, with niche referring to the specific role of an organism in its environment.
• Cyanobacteria are a group of bacteria that play a key role in the oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere.

Evolution and Natural Selection

• Darwin's theory of evolution proposes that species change over time through the process of natural selection.
• Lamarck's theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics is an alternative to Darwin's theory.
• Artificial selection, such as selective breeding, can lead to changes in species over time.
• Variation in populations is a key component of natural selection, with mutation being a source of new variation.
• Evidence from embryology, analogy, homology, and fossil records supports Darwin's theory.

Taxonomy and Classification

• Taxonomic levels, from Domain to Species, are used to classify organisms based on their evolutionary relationships.
• Binomial nomenclature is a system of naming species using a two-part name, consisting of a genus and species.
• Speciation is the process of one species splitting into two or more distinct species.

Scientific Inquiry

• Manipulated variables are the variables being changed in an experiment, while responding variables are the variables being measured.
• Controlled variables are the variables that are kept constant to ensure a fair test.
• Gradualism and punctuated equilibrium are two theories that propose different rates of change in evolution.