Ecology – Flashcard
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Ecology
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The study of organisms in the biosphere interact with each other and their surroundings.
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What does biosphere contain?
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All life on Earth and all parts of Earth where life exists.
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How are human economics and ecology linked?
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Humans depend on ecological processes to provide nutrients that can be bough or traded.
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Explain the relationship between ecosystems and biomes.
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Ecosystem- all organisms living in a place with their physical environment Biome- Group of ecosystems sharing climates and organisms
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Why might an ecologist set up an artificial environment in a laboratory?
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To imitate and manipulate conditions that organisms would encounter in the natural world.
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Why are many ecological phenomena difficult to study?
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They occur over long periods of time or large areas.
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Why do ecologists make models?
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To gain insight into complex phenomena.
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What makes a planet living?
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Earth is living because it contains living organisms.
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What do autotrophs do during photosynthesis?
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Use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates.
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Can some organisms survive without energy from the sun?
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Yes they depend on chemicals instead of sunlight to make their own food.
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What is an herbivore? Give examples.
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A plant eater. Cows, rabbits.
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What is a consumer? Give examples.
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Heterotroph that eats animals. Snake, dog, owl.
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What is an omnivore? Give examples.
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Heterotroph that feeds on plants and animals. Humans, bears, pigs.
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What is a detritivore? Give examples.
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Heterotroph that feeds on detrius. Earthworm
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What is a decomposer? Give examples.
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Heterotroph that breaks down organic matter. Bacteria, Fungi
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What is a scavenger? Give examples.
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Heterotrophs that consumes the carcasses of dead animals but does not typically kill them itself. Vulture, Hyena
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What is a consumer?
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Heterotroph that relies on another organism for energy and nutrients.
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How would you categorize a consumer that usually catches and eats prey, but also eats dead animal carcasses?
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Carnivore
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What role do producers play in establishing Earth as a living planet?
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Primary producers harness the suns energy and convert it to carbs, thus becoming the energy source of all other consumers on the planet.
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True or False: Primary consumers always make up the first trophic level in the food web.
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False
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True or False: Ecological pyramids show the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food web.
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True
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True or False: On average about 50% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level.
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False
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True or False: The more levels that exist between a producer and a given consumer, the larger the percentage of the original energy from producers is available to that consumer.
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False
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Pyramid of Biomass is...
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It illustrates the relative amount of living organic matter available at each trophic level in an ecosystem.
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Pyramid of Numbers is...
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Shows the relative numbers of individual organisms at the trophic levels in an ecosystem.
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Pyramid of energy is...
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Shows the relative amount of energy available at the trophic levels in an ecosystem.
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The four elements that make up over 95% of the body in most organisms are
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oxygen, carbon and hydrogen
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Nitrogen Fixation
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The process of changing nitrogen gas into ammonia.
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Denitrification
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The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.
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ow do humans add nitrogen to the biosphere?
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Fertilizer.
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Which parts of the phosphorus cycles are geological processes?
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Marine sediments turn into rock and washes phosphates into oceans.
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When is a substance a limiting nutrient?
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When it is scarce or when it cycles very slowly and limits an ecosystem.
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What does matter do that energy doesn't?
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Get recycled.
