Ecology Quiz on Ecosystem Components

Ecosystems (Structure and function)

• Ecosystems encompass the interactions between living organisms and their environment.
• The four major components are Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, and Biosphere.

Biosphere

• The biosphere encompasses all living matter on Earth and the portion of the planet where life exists.
• It encompasses air, land, surface rocks, and water.
• Biotic processes alter or transform the biosphere.

Hydrosphere

• The hydrosphere includes all forms of water on Earth, including oceans, inland seas, lakes, streams, rain, groundwater, ice (glaciers and snow), and atmospheric water vapor.
• 70.8% of the Earth is covered by water, with 97% being seawater and 3% freshwater.
• Water is unique and plentiful on Earth.
• The water cycle describes the transport through the hydrosphere.

Atmosphere

• The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic system essential for life on Earth.
• Gases in Earth's atmosphere are retained due to gravity.
• The atmosphere supports major weather patterns and temperature regulation.

Structure of the atmosphere

• The atmosphere is divided into layers (Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere) with varying temperature gradients and composition.
• The ozone layer is in the stratosphere.
• Different heights have different functions.
• The temperature is different in different layers.
• The boundary between space and Earth's atmosphere is defined by the Kármán line.

Composition of the atmosphere

• The atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen (75.523%) and oxygen (23.133%).
• Minor components include argon, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases.

Lithosphere

• The lithosphere is Earth's solid outermost shell consisting of rocks, minerals, and soil.
• The lithosphere includes:
  • crust (continental and oceanic crust).
  • mantle
  • core (outer core / inner core)
  • The crust's thickness varies.
  • Major elements of Earth's crust are Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium.

Ecosystem

• An ecosystem is a complex network of interactions between living organisms and their non-living environment.
• These are typically classified as aquatic and terrestrial.
• Interplay between Prey-Predators, Producers-Consumers is important to a balanced ecosystem where there is constant and optimum recycling of matter.
• Elements of the ecosystem that are living: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
• Elements of the ecosystem that are not living: soil composition, sunlight, water, air etc..

Ecological pyramids

• Pyramids of Numbers, Biomass, and Energy describe the relationships between trophic levels.
• These show which organisms eat which others.
• They describe how energy flows through the food web.

Food chain

• A food chain represents the flow of energy from one species to the next.
• These are shown graphically to show how species interact.

Food web

• Food webs represent more complex interactions between different food chains within an ecosystem
• Species can serve different levels and be interdependent or independent from one another.
• These depict the interconnectedness.

Biotic and Abiotic factors

• Biotic factors include living organisms in an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microbes.
• Abiotic factors encompass the non-living components, such as water, soil, sunlight, and temperature.
  • They both interact for the health of the ecosystem.

Biotic factors

• Interspecific relationships (between different species) and intraspecific relationships (between members of the same species) exist and affect the entire ecosystem.
• Positive interactions like mutualism and commensalism benefit one or both species involved.
• Negative interactions like competition and parasitism negatively impact one or both species involved.
• Predation is a key relation within a food chain.

Hydrological cycle

• The movement of water within the Earth's sphere or ecosystem is referred to as the water cycle.
• This cycle includes evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, and runoff.
• Organisms play an important role on the water cycle whether via transpiration or directly absorbing the water.
• Water is in use for various aspects throughout its cycle.

Water quality

• Standards for water quality are necessary to provide clean, safe water that does not harm humans and organisms.
• Water pollutants may be natural or manmade.
• Some harmful effects include disease transmission, disruption of aquatic life, and ecosystem imbalance.

Waterborne diseases

• Contaminated water can cause various waterborne diseases.
• Some of the pathogens that can cause waterborne diseases include: bacteria, viruses and protozoa.
• Contamination of water is a concern across the globe.

Land pollution

• Land pollution results from the misuse of soil from poor agricultural practices, mineral exploitation, industrial waste dumping, and indiscriminate disposal of urban waste.
• It has a detrimental impact on ecosystems and human health.
• Land pollution often stems from a range of human activities.
• Control methods may include management of solid waste and waste reduction.

Mining

• Mining involves extracting valuable geological material from the earth.
• Mining can have several environmental impacts, including erosion, subsidence, and contamination of water and soil.
• It can also lead to displacement and loss of livelihood of local populations.

Types of solid wastes

• There are several typical types based on whether the source is residential, industrial, commercial, or institutional.
• Types of solid waste include food waste, paper, glass, plastics and so on.

Energy sources

• Energy is essential to industrial and agricultural societies.
• Energy sources are classified as renewable and non-renewable.
• Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, tidal, hydropower, and biomass. Non-renewable energy sources encompass fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuels.

Automobile Pollution

• Automobile pollution is caused by several factors.
• Types of automotive-based emissions include hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and sulfur oxides.
• These emissions often lead to negative health and environmental consequences.

Ozone depletion

• The depletion of the ozone layer results from the release of chemicals.
• Ozone depletion has negative impacts on human health and ecosystems.
• Control measures include reducing the use of ozone-depleting substances.

Climate Change

• Climate change is the increase in the average temperature of Earth.
• Causes include burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and so on.

Noise Pollution

• Noise pollution occurs from industrial sources, automobiles, and so forth.
• It can negatively affect human health.
• Control methods include engineering solutions such as sound barriers.

Air pollution

• Air pollution occurs due to the release of pollutants into the atmosphere.

• There are several contributors, including industries, automobiles, and natural events.

• Effects of air pollution include respiratory problems, and damage to plant life.

• Control measures include pollution control regulations and technological developments.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

• EIA is a tool to evaluate the potential effects that any development project may have on the environment.
• It identifies the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project.
• EIA is essential for any development that risks environmental damage and is a useful tool for determining and regulating projects.