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Questions and Answers
What is the primary consequence of habitat loss, over-exploitation, and pollution on ecosystems?
What is the primary consequence of habitat loss, over-exploitation, and pollution on ecosystems?
What is the term for the process by which nutrients are used by organisms for growth and function?
What is the term for the process by which nutrients are used by organisms for growth and function?
Which of the following processes is responsible for the conversion of solar energy into usable chemical energy in an ecosystem?
Which of the following processes is responsible for the conversion of solar energy into usable chemical energy in an ecosystem?
What is the role of the fox in the food chain, given that a rabbit eats a carrot and a fox eats the rabbit?
What is the role of the fox in the food chain, given that a rabbit eats a carrot and a fox eats the rabbit?
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What is the level of organization in ecology that refers to a community of living and nonliving things that interact with each other in a specific habitat?
What is the level of organization in ecology that refers to a community of living and nonliving things that interact with each other in a specific habitat?
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Which of the following conditions is NOT required for biomagnification to occur?
Which of the following conditions is NOT required for biomagnification to occur?
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What is the term for the long-term storage of carbon in the form of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil?
What is the term for the long-term storage of carbon in the form of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil?
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What is the key difference between energy and matter in ecosystems?
What is the key difference between energy and matter in ecosystems?
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What is the term for the spacing pattern of a population in an area?
What is the term for the spacing pattern of a population in an area?
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What type of symbiotic relationship is characterized by one species benefiting and the other being neither harmed nor helped?
What type of symbiotic relationship is characterized by one species benefiting and the other being neither harmed nor helped?
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Study Notes
Ecosystem Processes
- Four processes necessary to keep an ecosystem self-supporting and balanced:
- Energy Production: Autotrophs and producers convert solar energy into usable chemical energy
- Energy Transfer: Energy from plants transfers to herbivores and carnivores that eat them
- Decomposition: Scavengers and detritivores consume dead abiotic materials, breaking them down with microorganisms and fungi
- Recycling: Elements and compounds are reused in the environment, never added or lost, just reused
Levels of Organization of Ecology
- Six levels of organization of ecology:
- Biosphere: All living and non-living things on Earth
- Biome: Ecosystem covering wide areas with similar climate and organisms
- Ecosystem: Community living together in a similar habitat
- Community: All populations living in an area
- Population: Members of the same species living together
- Organism: Any single living thing
Biomagnification
- Four conditions required for biomagnification:
- Pollutants must be long-lived, concentrated by producers, fat-soluble, and biologically active
Population Characteristics
- Three characteristics of populations:
- Population Density: Number of individuals in relation to space occupied
- Spatial Distribution: Spacing pattern of a population in an area
- Growth Rate: How fast a population grows
Symbiotic Relationships
- Three symbiotic relationships:
- Parasitism: One organism benefits, the other is harmed
- Mutualism: Both species benefit
- Commensalism: One species benefits, the other is neither harmed nor helped
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health
- Biodiversity affects ecosystem health through:
- The "Domino Effect": Loss of a single species can cause a chain reaction in the food web
- Ecosystem Services: Species work together to maintain oxygen levels, remove carbon dioxide, cycle nutrients, and purify water
Species at Risk
- Reasons why species are at risk:
- Habitat Loss: Removal of habitat due to agriculture, urbanization, roads, and pipelines
- Over-Exploitation: Excessive hunting, fishing, or trapping
- Pollution: Harmful materials in the environment, toxic chemicals in water
- Invasive Species: Alien species outcompeting native species
Population Change Formula
- Population change formula: population change = births - deaths + immigration - emigration
- Example: Regina population change in 2008
Ultimate Source of Energy
- The ultimate source of energy is solar energy
Energy Flow and Trophic Levels
- Energy flows through an ecosystem, while matter cycles
- Trophic levels:
- Rabbit: Secondary consumer
- Fox: Tertiary consumer
Nutrient Cycles
- Three stages of a nutrient cycle:
- Input: Nutrients enter an organism (e.g., barn owl breathes or eats living organisms)
- Throughput: Nutrients are used by organisms for growth and function (e.g., digestion breaks down food)
- Output: Waste matter, used, and unneeded nutrients are returned to the environment (e.g., decomposition)
Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles
- Carbon cycle:
- Steps: Photosynthesis, Respiration, Decomposition, Combustion
- Nitrogen cycle:
- Steps: Nitrogen Fixation, Ammonification, Nitrification, Denitrification
Energy and Matter
- Energy flows through an ecosystem, while matter cycles
- Short-term and long-term carbon stores:
- Short-term: Living things, atmosphere, plants, rotting tissues
- Long-term: Underground coal, natural gas, sedimentary rocks, ocean floor
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Description
Understand the four essential processes necessary to maintain a self-sustaining and balanced ecosystem, including energy production, transfer, decomposition, and recycling.
