Environmental Science Overview
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Questions and Answers

What does carrying capacity refer to in an ecosystem?

  • The range of temperatures a species can withstand
  • The genetic diversity within a population
  • The maximum population size that an ecosystem can sustain (correct)
  • The total amount of resources available in an area

    • Which of the following accurately describes mutualism?

  • Both species benefit from the relationship (correct)
  • One species benefits at the expense of another
  • Both species compete for the same resources
  • One species is neither helped nor harmed by the interaction

    • What is the primary factor that alters an ecosystem's carrying capacity?

  • Population density
  • Natural disasters
  • Habitat fragmentation
  • Human activities (correct)

    • In terms of ecological relationships, what characterizes parasitism?

    <p>One organism benefits while the other is harmed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements about the nitrogen cycle is correct?

    <p>Nitrogen compounds are moved through both biotic and abiotic environments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term describes organisms that must eat other organisms to obtain energy?

    <p>Consumers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the main factors that determine population size?

    <p>Birth rate, death rate, immigration, emigration</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements about ecological niches is true?

    <p>Ecological niches describe how species utilize resources.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a community in ecological terms?

    <p>A collection of populations of different species in one area.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of species has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem?

    <p>Keystone species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    During which cycle is carbon primarily cycled through different environmental spheres?

    <p>Carbon Cycle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What primarily drives exponential growth in a population?

    <p>Unhindered resources and low death rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which describes the role of ecosystem engineers?

    <p>Species that create or modify habitats.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary role of autotrophs in an ecosystem?

    <p>To produce complex organic compounds using sunlight</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a characteristic of the lithosphere?

    <p>It is the solid outer layer of the Earth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines a trophic level?

    <p>The category of organisms defined by their food source</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement accurately describes sustainability?

    <p>It is the ability to maintain a certain rate or level</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can be inferred about the relationship between biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem?

    <p>Abiotic components can provide energy to support biotic activities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one reason why trophic efficiency is always less than 100%?

    <p>Energy is lost as heat and not captured in biomass</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following represents a biotic factor in an ecosystem?

    <p>A population of moose</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are migrant species important to ecosystems?

    <p>They contribute to the genetic diversity of their habitats</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which abiotic factor is characteristic of the tundra biome?

    <p>Permafrost layer beneath the soil</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common biotic component found in a mountain forest?

    <p>Marmots</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor of the grassland biome?

    <p>Highly variable temperatures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what kind of forest would you expect to find trees shedding their leaves annually?

    <p>Temperate deciduous forest</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which biome has the highest average annual precipitation?

    <p>Temperate deciduous forest</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What describes the soil quality of the tundra biome?

    <p>Poor quality with low organic content</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which animal is associated with the boreal forest biome?

    <p>Snowshoe hares</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which biome is characterized by having no permafrost?

    <p>Boreal forest</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a defining feature of oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems?

    <p>Low in nutrients</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which species is commonly found in grassland ecosystems?

    <p>Grasshoppers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines a biome?

    <p>A large geographical region defined by climate and specific biotic and abiotic features</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main role of producers in an ecosystem?

    <p>To convert sunlight into energy-rich food compounds</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes a food web?

    <p>A representation of complex feeding relationships in a community</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

    <p>To break down and recycle dead organic matter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'trophic level' refer to?

    <p>The feeding position of an organism in a food chain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which process converts sunlight into chemical energy?

    <p>Photosynthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes mutualism?

    <p>Both organisms benefit from the interaction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are abiotic factors in an ecosystem?

    <p>The non-living components such as water and sunlight</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does deforestation impact atmospheric conditions?

    <p>It increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which cycle involves the movement of nitrogen through living organisms and the environment?

    <p>Nitrogen cycle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    The Spheres of Earth

    • Biosphere: Zone around Earth where life exists
    • Atmosphere: Layer of gases surrounding Earth
    • Lithosphere: Earth's solid outer layer
    • Hydrosphere: All of Earth's water in solid, liquid, and gas forms

    Sustainability

    • Biotic: Living parts of an ecosystem (eg. moose)
    • Abiotic: Non-living parts of an ecosystem (eg. rocky cliffs)
    • Ecosystem: Interacting parts of a biological community and its environment (living things and their environment)
    • Sustainability: Ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level

    Trophic Levels, Diets and Contaminants

    • Trophic level: Category of organisms based on how they gain energy
    • Autotroph: Organisms that create complex organic compounds from simple nutrients, often using sunlight (they make their own food)
    • Heterotroph: Organisms that consume organic material to produce energy
    • Trophic efficiency: The amount of energy or biomass transferred up trophic levels (always less than 100% due to energy loss during processes like hunting and digestion)
    • Producer: Organisms that make their own food (eg. autotrophs)
    • Consumer: Organisms that must eat other organisms for energy

    Populations, Communities & Interactions

    • Population: All individuals of a species in a given geographical area at a particular time
    • Factors affecting population size: Natality (birth rate), immigration, fatality (death rate), emigration
    • Interspecies interactions: Interactions between species that can have positive or negative effects on populations
    • Ecological niche: The role an organism plays in an ecosystem (what it eats, what eats it, and its behavior)
    • Predation & population size: Predator and prey populations influence each other

    Communities

    • Community: A group of different species occupying the same geographical area at a specific time
    • Dominant species: Species with a large effect on the community
    • Keystone species: Species with a disproportionately large impact on the community, often affecting many other species
    • Ecosystem engineers: Species that create or modify habitats for other species

    Cycles

    • Biogeochemical cycles: Movement of matter through the biotic and abiotic environment
    • Water cycle: Cycling of water through the environment (most water is in the abiotic environment)
    • Carbon cycle: Cycling of carbon through the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere
    • Carbon deposits: Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), oil shale, carbonate-based sedimentary deposits (limestone)
    • Human impact on carbon cycle: Burning fossil fuels, land-use change, using limestone for concrete
    • Nitrogen Cycle: Moving nitrogen compounds through biotic and abiotic environment

    Carrying Capacity & Tolerance Range, 5 Types of Ecological Relationships

    • Carrying capacity: Maximum population size an ecosystem can sustain
    • Tolerance range: The range of abiotic conditions an organism can survive in
    • Symbiosis (5 types): Interaction between members of two different species
      • Mutualism: Both individuals benefit
      • Commensalism: One individual benefits, the other is neither harmed nor benefited
      • Parasitism: One individual lives on or in a host and feeds on it
      • Competition: Two or more organisms compete for the same resource
      • Predation: One individual feeds on another

    Aquatic and Terrestrial Biomes

    • Terrestrial Biomes:
      • Tundra: Low temperatures, short growing season, permafrost, low diversity, mosses, lichens, caribou, ptarmigan, lemmings, arctic foxes
      • Mountain Forest: Varying temperatures with elevation, cool summers, windy conditions, heavy precipitation on leeward sides, fast-flowing rivers, marmots, squirrels, elk, black bears, grizzly bears, cougar, large coniferous trees, ferns
      • Boreal Forest: Warmer than tundra, no permafrost, changeable weather, higher precipitation, coniferous trees, seed-eating birds, squirrels, voles, snowshoe hares, black bears
      • Grassland: Longer growing season, higher temperatures, rich soil, precipitation (25-75 cm/year), fescue grasses, grasshoppers, bison, voles, mice, snakes, hawks, coyotes
      • Temperate Deciduous Forest: Longer growing season, fertile soil, precipitation (up to 100 cm/year), deer, weasels, squirrels, many insects, diverse tree and ground vegetation
    • Aquatic Biomes:
      • Freshwater Ecosystems: Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, streams. Oligotrophic (low nutrients) and eutrophic (rich in nutrients)
      • Marine Ecosystems: Aquatic environments with high salt levels
    • Watershed: An area of land that collects rain and snow and drains into a body of water

    Vocabulary

    • Atmosphere: Layer of gases surrounding Earth
    • Lithosphere: Earth’s solid outer layer
    • Hydrosphere: All of Earth’s water
    • Ecosystem: Interacting parts of a biological community and its environment
    • Biotic factor: Living things, their remains, and features associated with their activities
    • Abiotic factor: Non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem
    • Radiant energy: Energy traveling through empty space
    • Light energy: Visible forms of radiant energy
    • Thermal energy: Energy transferred during heating or cooling
    • Photosynthesis: Converting sunlight into chemical energy
    • Deforestation: Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
    • Producer: Organism that makes its own food
    • Cellular respiration: Converting sugar into energy
    • Consumer: Organism that obtains energy from consuming other organisms
    • Decomposers: Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms
    • Food Chain: Sequence of organisms showing energy transfer, each organism feeds on the next
    • Ecological Niche: Role a species plays in its ecosystem
    • Trophic level: An organism's level in an ecosystem based on its feeding position
    • Food web: Representation of feeding relationships within a community
    • Ecological pyramid: Representation of energy, numbers, or biomass relationships in ecosystems
    • Biomass: Mass of living organisms in a given area
    • Herbivore: Eats plants or other producers
    • Carnivore: Eats other animals
    • Omnivore: Eats both plants and animals
    • Scavenger: Eats dead animals
    • Biogeochemical Cycle: Movement of matter through the biotic and abiotic environment
    • Water cycle: Cycling of water through the environment
    • Carbon Cycle: Cycling of carbon through the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere
    • Nitrogen Cycle: Moving nitrogen compounds through the biotic and abiotic environment
    • Limiting Factor: Factor that restricts the growth of a population
    • Tolerance Range: Range of conditions an organism can survive in
    • Competition: Organisms competing for the same resource
    • Predation: One individual feeds on another
    • Mutualism: Both individuals benefit from the interaction
    • Parasitism: One individual benefits at the expense of the host
    • Commensalism: One individual benefits, the other is unaffected
    • Carrying Capacity: Maximum population size an ecosystem can sustain
    • Biome: Large geographical region characterized by a particular set of climate, biotic, and abiotic features
    • Aquatic Biome: Water-based biome
    • Terrestrial Biome: Land-based biome

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    Description

    This quiz covers essential concepts related to Earth's spheres, sustainability, and trophic levels. Explore the interactions of biotic and abiotic components and understand the energy flow in ecosystems. Test your knowledge on how these elements contribute to our environment and sustainability efforts.

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