Ecosystems and the Biosphere Quiz

Ecosystems are broadly categorized into freshwater, marine, and terrestrial.

Organisms within an ecosystem compete for limited resources like food, water, and space.

The least common type, covering only 1.8% of Earth's surface, including lakes, rivers, streams, and springs.

The most common type, covering 75% of Earth's surface, divided into shallow ocean, deep ocean water, and deep ocean bottom.

Phytoplankton in the shallow ocean perform a significant amount of Earth's photosynthesis (40%).

Ecosystems found on land, grouped into categories called biomes, with high diversity.

Climate, elevation, and geology influence which organisms live in an area.

Organisms compete for resources, such as sunlight, minerals, and water, affecting population dynamics.

A linear sequence of organisms showing how energy and nutrients flow from one organism to the next.

The position an organism occupies in a food chain, based on its energy source.

Organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis (plants and phytoplankton).

Herbivores that eat producers.

Carnivores that eat herbivores (primary consumers).

Carnivores that eat other carnivores (secondary consumers).

The top predators in a food chain, with no natural predators.

Energy is lost at each trophic level as heat and during transfers to decomposers.

A food web where plants or photosynthetic organisms are the primary energy source, followed by herbivores and various carnivores.

A food web based on organisms that feed on decaying organic matter, including decomposers and detritivores.

Organisms that break down dead and decaying organisms, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Organisms that consume organic detritus, like dead leaves and animal remains.

The transfer of energy through an ecosystem, starting from the sun and moving through producers, consumers, and decomposers.

A series of chemical reactions that occur in cells, often requiring ATP for energy.

Adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that stores and releases energy for cellular processes.

Organisms need energy for various metabolic processes, like building large molecules and maintaining life.

Living organisms require a constant energy input to build macromolecules (proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and complex carbohydrates) from their monomers.

Food web diagrams show how energy flows directionally through ecosystems, indicating how efficiently organisms acquire and use energy.

Organisms that capture light or chemical energy and use it to synthesize their own food. Examples include plants, algae, and some bacteria.

Autotrophs that use sunlight as an energy source to produce their own food. Examples include plants and algae.

Autotrophs that use inorganic molecules (like hydrogen sulfide) as an energy source to produce food. Found in extreme environments like hydrothermal vents.

The rate at which photosynthetic producers capture energy from the Sun and convert it into chemical energy (like glucose).

The amount of energy remaining in photosynthetic producers after accounting for their own respiration and heat loss. This energy is available to other organisms in the food web.

Autotrophs are essential for most ecosystems because they are the producers. Without them, energy wouldn't be available to other organisms, and life wouldn't be possible.

Organisms that obtain energy from chemical reactions, not sunlight, like those found in hydrothermal vents.

An ecosystem that relies on chemoautotrophs for energy, found near underwater volcanic vents.

The increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms as you move up each level of a food chain.

A pesticide that was used in the past, but caused harm to top predators through biomagnification, leading to fragile eggshells.

A type of chemical that was used in cooling liquids, but also causes biomagnification, harming top predators.

Elements like mercury, lead, and cadmium that can biomagnify, causing harm.

Fat-soluble substances are stored in an organism's fat reserves, concentrating as they're passed up the food chain. Water-soluble substances are easier to eliminate by the body.

The increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxin, in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain.

The concentration of PCBs increases as you move up trophic levels in an ecosystem.

High mercury levels can accumulate in certain fish, making it unsafe for consumption, especially by pregnant women and children.

The movement and transformation of matter, like water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, through living organisms and the environment.

Interactions within ecosystems, like biomagnification, can significantly influence the food we eat.