Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
150 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
atmosphere |
layer of gases surrounding the earth |
|
what is in the atmosphere |
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen |
|
what does the atmosphere do |
acts like a blanket to moderate temperatures, blocks solar radiation, uv light and essential for survival |
|
what is the lithosphere
|
earth's solid outer layer, consists of rocks and minerals. makes up mountains, ocean floors, and the rest of earth's solid landscape. 50-150km thick |
|
what is the hydrosphere |
all of earth's water in solid, liquid and gas form. oceans, lakes, ice, groundwater and clouds. 97% of earth's water is found in oceans |
|
what is the biosphere |
the area where life can exist within the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. all conditions for life must be met and maintained |
|
what is an ecosystem |
all the living organisms that share a region and interact with each other and their non-living environment |
|
what are abiotic factors |
non-living components of ecosystems, physical & chemical components of an ecosystem (eg. sunlight, temperature, wind, water, soil, minerals) *disturbances like fires, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions are also abiotic factors* |
|
what are biotic factors |
the living components of ecosystems. all organisms, their remains, their products and wastes |
|
what is a population |
all the members of the same species living in the same habitat or ecosystem |
|
what is a community |
a collection of all the populations in a habitat or ecosystem |
|
composition of ecosystems |
single organism < a population < a community of different species < an ecosystem with abiotic and biotic factors |
|
ecosystems can be either _____ or ______ |
natural or artificial |
|
what is sustainability |
ability to maintain an ecological balance without interruption, weakening, or loss of value |
|
what is a sustainable ecosystem |
it is an ecosystem that is maintained through natural processes |
|
what is an artificial ecosystem |
artificially created and maintained by human actions, desired plants and animals are introduced and maintained (eg. parks, farms) *not usually sustainable* |
|
the biosphere is the _____ |
most complex level in ecology |
|
what are biomes |
a biome is a collection of ecosystems that are similar or related |
|
what are the canadian biomes |
-tundra -boreal/coniferous forest -deciduous forest -grassland |
|
abiotic features of the tundra biomes |
-low temperatures -permafrost -poor soil quality |
|
biotic features of the tundra biomes |
-low diversity -rapid flowering plants -caribou -foxes -mosses
|
|
abiotic factors of boreal forests |
-warmer than tundra -no permafrost -changeable weather -acidic and watery soil |
|
biotic factors of boreal forests |
-coniferous trees -birds -squirrels -hares -bears -wolves |
|
abiotic factors of the temperate deciduous forest |
-higher temperatures -fertile soil -rainn |
|
biotic factors of the temperate deciduous forest |
-deciduous trees and flowering plants -squirrels -lots of insects -mice -deer -bears -hummingbirds -weaselsabiotic |
|
abiotic factors of grasslands |
-longer growing season -higher temperatures -good soil |
|
biotic factors of grasslands |
-grass -bison -mice -snakes -coyotes -hawks
|
|
what is an ecological niche |
role of a species within its ecosystem (what does it eat, what eats it, behavior) |
|
what is a producer |
an organism that produces its own food (eg plants produce sugar via photosynthesis) |
|
what is a consumer |
organism that consumes other organisms for energy |
|
in order to stay alive and function all organisms need _____ |
energy
|
|
what is the source of all energy |
the sun |
|
what does photosynthesis do |
solar energy is converted into chemical energy via photosynthesis |
|
producers can capture _____ in a chemical called ______ found in plant cells |
light energy, chlorophyll |
|
what is the equation for photosynthesis |
carbon dioxide + water (=light energy=) sugar + oxygen |
|
what is sugar |
it is stored chemical energy in roots stems and leaves of a plant |
|
what is the equation for cellular respiration |
sugar + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water + energy |
|
what do plants convert sugar to for storage |
starch |
|
what is energy used for in plants |
building materials such as carbs proteins etc |
|
what is a food chain |
sequence of organisms each feeding on the next showing how energy is transferred from one organism to another |
|
organisms that cannot make their own food must ... |
get their energy form eating other organisms |
|
what is a scavenger |
feeds on the remain of another organism |
|
what is a feeding level |
describes position of an organism along a food chain |
|
what is the 1st trophic level |
producers |
|
what is the 2nd trophic level |
primary consumers (herbivores) |
|
what is the 3rd/4th trophic level |
secondary/tertiary consumers (carnivores) |
|
what is detritus |
waste from plants/animals and dead remains |
|
what happens to the detritus |
some organisms might eat it (scavengers) other organisms break it down to get nutrients for own use and/or release nutrients back ino the ecosystem (decomposers) |
|
what is a food web |
representation of the feeding relationships within a community |
|
(energy transfer) all organisms continually _____________ to their __________ |
use and release energy, environment. this means energy is continually lost from all levels of the food chain. |
|
thermodynamics first and second law |
1. energy can be transferred from one form to another but it cannot be created or destroyed 2. energy is lost everytime is energy is transferred between organisms |
|
what is the energy used for |
-growth and everyday activities -some is converted to heat energy (unusuable) -some is lost as waste (poop) -some cannot be consumed (bones, skin, fur) |
|
energy needed to maintain a food chain inevitably runs out unless ... |
sunlight is continuous |
|
which trophic levels have less energy available to them |
the higher trophic levels |
|
omnivores feed at ... |
2 levels |
|
what is the end carnivore called |
the top carnivore |
|
the top carnivore is also the ... |
lowest energy position |
|
examples of decomposers |
earthworm fungus mushrooms bacteria |
|
particles of matter do not ... |
stay in your body forever |
|
every part of your cell in your body is ... |
replaced over time |
|
photosynthesis and cellular respiration are ... |
complimentary processes that cycle carbon around (organic and inorganic forms of it) |
|
what is photosynthesis |
process in which the sun's energy is converted into chemical energy or 'glucose sugar' |
|
which parts of the equation for photosynthesis are organic and inorganic |
carbon dioxide + water ] inorganic sugar + oxygen ] organic |
|
what is cellular respiration |
process by which glucose sugar in converted into carbon dioxide, water, and energy |
|
which parts of the equation for cellular respiration are organic or inorganic |
sugar + oxygen ] organic carbon dioxide + water + energy ] inorganic |
|
most of earth's carbon is not ... |
recycled |
|
where is earth's carbon stored |
in carbon rich deposits |
|
fossil fuels do what |
burning or combustion of fossil fuels release carbon dioxide |
|
dead marine organisms end up as ... |
layers of limestone sediment (sedimentary rock) |
|
where is organic carbon held |
in the bodies of living things |
|
what does the decomposition of waste and dead organisms do |
it returns carbon in inorganic form |
|
what is the human impacts on the carbon cycle |
1. burning or combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere 2. deforestation increases carbon dioxide concentration the atmosphere |
|
what does combustion cause |
-causes climatic changes -alters temperature and water availability -increases temperatures which melt polar ice caps then sea levels rise and that disrupts ecosystems |
|
what does deforestation cause |
-less trees to take the CO2 via photosynthesis -decomposition of organic matte returns carbon to atmosphere |
|
where is most nitrogen found |
its found mostly in the atmosphere (called atmospheric nitrogen, N2) and is unusuable |
|
what is nitrogen important for |
its important for cells to make protein and dna |
|
which is used by plants: nitrogen nitrites nitrates |
nitrates (NO3) is used by plants |
|
nitrogen makes up 79% of the atmosphere but ... |
its not readily available to be used by organisms because of its stable nature
|
|
how is nitrogen usuable |
it must be converted to nitrates (NO3) |
|
how can we convert nitrogen to nitrates |
nitrogen fixation |
|
what will fix nitrogen |
-lightning will fix small amounts of nitogen (lightning falls with rain) -bacteria in the soil will fix nitrogen for nearby plants |
|
how is nitrogen used |
its used to make dna and proteins |
|
who needs plant nitrogen |
animals/humans |
|
animals break down proteins into ... |
amino acids |
|
what are amino acids used for |
to make the needed proteins |
|
what happens to excess nitrogen |
decomposers will take nitrogen rich compounds and release it back into the environment (goes into the soil or re-enters the atmosphere) |
|
what is the process of the nitrogen |
nitrate > nitrite > nitrogen |
|
what do plants need |
n:p:k (nitrogen, phosphate, potassium) |
|
plants have _______ which is responsible for the ______ which requires ______ |
chlorophyll, green colour, nitrates |
|
who is chlorophyll required by |
required by producers to participate in photosynthesis |
|
lwhat does chlorophyll trap |
chlorophyll traps the sunlight (radiant energy) |
|
what makes the chlorophyll |
chloroplast |
|
fossil fuels are organic or inorganico |
organic |
|
what allows an organism to thrive |
abiotic and biotic conditions |
|
what is the limiting factor |
factor that restricts the size of a population eg. is there enough food species interaction whos faster or stronger |
|
what are species interactions |
species often interact within community and different relationships exists between species
|
|
what are the 5 interactions |
1. competition 2. predation 3. parasitism 4. commensalism 5. mutualism |
|
what is competition |
two individuals vie for the same resource |
|
what is predation |
one individual feeds on another |
|
what is parasitism |
one individual lives in or on and feeds on a host organism |
|
what is commensalism |
one individual benefits and the other doesn't or is harmed |
|
what is mutualism |
two individuals benefiting each other |
|
example of competition |
fox and coyote both feed on rabbits |
|
example of predation |
lynx prey on hares |
|
example of parasitism |
microbes that case malaria live within human cells |
|
example of commensalism |
birds living/nesting in trees |
|
example of mutualism |
nitrogen fixing bacteria live in the roots of certain plants. plants provide sugar to bacteria. bacteria provide nitrogen to plant |
|
what are pests |
inconvenient organisms examples, organisms that damage crops -weeds, mosquitoes, mice |
|
what is a monoculture |
one type of organism in an area, also the ideal environment for pests |
|
what happens if pests attack plants |
if a pest attacks a plant it will eats its leaves and then the plant cannot photowsynthesize and will die |
|
what is a pesticide |
a substance/poison used to kill/poison pests |
|
what are the 4 types of pesticides |
-long lived -short lived -broad spectrum -narrow spectrum |
|
what are long lived pesticides |
they last many years (eg. synthetic pesticides) |
|
what are short lived pesticides |
last a few days (eg. natural pesticides) |
|
what are broad spectrum pesticides |
they are toxic to many species (eg. DDT is toxic to most insect species) |
|
what are narrow spectrum pesticides |
toxic to a limited number of species (eg. BT is toxic only to caterpillars, beetles, and fly larvae) |
|
who are more susceptible to pesticides |
each higher organism collects more pesticides, pesticides accumulate as they go from one trophic level to the next |
|
how do pesticides work |
physical harm -abrasive powder scratches small organisms
chemical harm -poison that interferes with photosynthesis or damages vital organs
------
direct contact -must touch pest
indirect -sprayed on grass and will take effect by the roots of the weed |
|
what are nontarget species |
species not intended to be killed by broad spectrum pesticides. sometimes it will kill predatory insects that normally feed on pests which makes them use more pesticides |
|
what is bioamplification/bioaccumulation |
pesticides that bioaccumulate do that because the cannot be removed from the body and they are stored in fats not water a pesticide bioamplifies in a food chain it increases in concentrations as it moves higher up the food web, can reach toxic levels |
|
what is resistance |
when pesticides are used for a long time then the pest can become stronger against it and it doesnt work anymore
individual pests that survive an application of pesticide will reproduce and pass the resistance to their kids
after many generations the population can be highly resistant |
|
what are some solutions |
organic farming -farming without the use of synthetic fertilizers/pesticides but some organic pesticides can be more dangerous than synthetic ones
control: -biological -altered time (when does it grow) -crop rotation/mixed planting -baiting the pest |
|
some non-native species ______ when introduces to a new habitat and can become ______ |
thrive, overpopulated |
|
some species become underpopulated because of... |
changes in abiotic and biotic conditions in their habitat |
|
what do we classify species with lowered populations as |
-vulnerable -threatened -extirpated -endangered -extinct |
|
what is vulnerable |
(special concern) species that is at risk because of its low or reducing numbers eg. grey fox |
|
what is threatened |
species that is likely to become endangered if factors reducing its survival are not changed eg. whale, bison |
|
what is extirpated |
a species that no longer exists in a specific area eg. paddlefish, atlantic walrus |
|
what is endangered |
a species facing immediate extirpation or extinction eg. swift fox, northern cricket frog |
|
what is extinct |
died out and no longer found on earth eg. sea mink, great auk |
|
what are the types of tree harvesting |
clear cutting and selective cutting |
|
what is clear cutting |
all the trees in one area are removed, followed by replanting, also highly mechanized |
|
what is selective cutting |
only certain trees are harvested (the best ones) and remaining trees provide seeds for future growth |
|
advantages of clear cutting |
-cheap -safe
|
|
disadvantages of clear cutting |
-soil erosion -runoff adds soil nutrients to water so algae will grow -habitats destroyed -we cut trees faster than they can grow -replanting results in monoculture |
|
advantages of selective cutting |
-less disruptive -biodiversity is maintained |
|
disadvantages of selective cutting |
-expensive -less safe -future growth will be inferior |
|
what causes acid precipitation |
-coal burning plants -cars/trucks -metal smelters to make jewelry -oil refineries *all produce sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide which dissolve in water droplets to form acid precipitation* acid rain is caused by an imbalance in the carbon cycles |
|
how does acid get into the water/air |
acidic gases released by atmosphere > gases carried by winds > gases dissolve in rainwater to form acid rain > acid rain kills plant life, pollutes rivers and streams and erodes stonework |
|
effects of acid precipitation |
ecosystems at risk -kills fish -soil, bacteria -aquatic & terrestrial plants
low ph 5.1 damages tree leaves and tree tissues making it easy for them to get infected
marble statues dissolve
metal and buildings are damaged (corrosion)
asthma, bronchitis, eye and skin irritation |
|
what is fragmentation |
making a region smaller |
|
what does fragmentation do to ecosystems |
it reduces ecosystem sustainability and a large area of the habitat is exposed to damaging outside influences such as pollution |
|
what factors improve the sustainability of habitat fragments |
-size -number (1big area instead of 4 small) -proximity (how close together are the habitats) -connectedness (connected habitats) -integrity (wheres the water) |
|
human activities along shorelines damage neighbouring aquatic ecosystems by |
-replacing natural vegetation -dredging to create deeper water for boats -sediment runoff -commercial fishing |
|
what is ecological succession |
-ecosystems are balanced -biotic and abiotic features remain constant -abiotic conditoins are stable but ecosystems can change over time |
|
larger ecosystems/ change is ... |
slow and is caused by changes in climate |
|
small eosystems/ constant ... |
state of change i.e fires |
|
what is succession |
the gradual change in the biotic and abiotic features of an ecosystem observed by following a disturbance |
|
what is primary succession |
succession on newly exposed ground |
|
what is seconday succession |
succession in a partially disrupted ecosystem but doesn't destroy the community |