1
Q
What is a biome?
A
A regional area characterized by the plants, animals, and climate in that area.
2
Q
Name the five primary biomes in the world.
A
- Grassland
- Desert
- Forest
- Aquatic Biome
- Tundra
3
Q
Where are savannas located?
A
Near the equator.
Savannas occur in tropical/subtropical regions with seasonal rainfall, especially over half of Africa and large portions of Australia, South America, with wet and dry seasons.
4
Q
What are the two types of temperate grasslands?
A
- Prairies
- Steppes
5
Q
What are the three categories of savannas based on precipitation level?
A
- Wet savannas
- Dry savannas
- Thornbush savannas
Wet savannas with dry seasons lasting 3 to 5 months.
Dry savannas with dry seasons for 5 to 7 months.
Thornbush savannas with dry seasons longer than 5 to 7 months.
6
Q
What are some animals commonly found in savannas?
A
- Lions
- Zebras
- Cheetahs
- Giraffes
- Elephants
- Vultures
7
Q
How much precipitation do temperate grasslands receive annually on average?
A
10 to 20 inches.
8
Q
What are the four main types of deserts?
A
- Hot and dry
- Semi-arid
- Coastal
- Cold
9
Q
Where are hot and dry deserts primarily located?
A
Near the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.
10
Q
What is the average annual rainfall (inches) in hot and dry deserts?
A
6 inches
11
Q
What is the average yearly rainfall in tropical rainforests?
A
80 to 400 inches.
12
Q
What is the defining characteristic of taiga/boreal forests?
A
Coldest and driest climate of the forest biome categories.
13
Q
What is the main difference between rainforests and jungles?
A
- Rainforests have a canopy of tall trees preventing light from hitting the ground.
- Jungles have smaller, less dense trees.
14
Q
Where are taiga forests primarily located?
A
Northern hemisphere south of the Arctic Circle.
Found in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Siberia.
15
Q
What is the temperature range in coastal deserts during summers?
A
55°F to 75°F
Examples: Namib Desert in Africa and the Atacama Desert in Chile
16
Q
What is the average yearly rainfall in semi-arid deserts?
A
Up to 20 inches.
17
Q
What is the temperature range in cold deserts during the winter?
A
28°F to 39°F
18
Q
What is the percentage of Earth covered by aquatic biomes?
A
Almost 75%.
19
Q
What is the average annual rainfall in temperate deciduous forests?
A
30 to 60 inches.
20
Q
What is the estimated number of species in tropical rainforests?
A
Over 15 million species of plants and animals.
Tropical rainforests have the highest biodiversity in the world.
21
Q
What are common plants found in taiga forests?
A
- Mosses
- Lichens
- Mushrooms
22
Q
Where are semi-arid deserts primarily located?
A
Northern Hemisphere in areas like Europe, North America, Russia, northern Asia.
23
Q
What is the temperature range in cold deserts during the summer?
A
70°F to 79°F
24
Q
What is the largest biome on Earth?
A
Aquatic biomes
25
What are the **two main categories** of aquatic biomes?
* Freshwater
* Marine
## Footnote
Freshwater habitats have less than 1% salt in the water, while marine habitats have a high concentration of salt.
26
Where are **tundra biomes** located?
In high latitudes.
## Footnote
Can be found in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, and sub-Antarctic islands.
27
What is **permafrost**?
**Permanently frozen ground** located under the soil that is unique to tundra biomes.
28
What are the **two categories** of tundra biomes?
* Arctic tundra
* Alpine tundra
## Footnote
The arctic tundra is found at the North Pole above the tree line, while the alpine tundra is found further away from the poles.
29
What is the main characteristic of the **arctic tundra**?
The barren land with no plants due to harsh temperatures.
30
What are some **animals** found in the **arctic tundra**?
* Arctic foxes
* Polar bears
* Gray wolves
* Snow geese
* Musk oxen
31
What is an **endemic species**?
A species **unique to a specific biome** and only found in that specific part of the world.
32
What are the four main types of **forest biomes**?
* Temperate deciduous rainforests
* Tropical rainforests
* Jungles
* Taiga boreal forests
33
What are **ecological pyramids**?
Conceptual illustrations of how **trophic levels** within an ecosystem are related.
34
What are the three **types of ecological pyramids**?
* Pyramid of Numbers
* Pyramid of Biomass
* Pyramid of Energy
35
What do **primary producers** consist of?
Plants and other organisms that **produce their own energy**.
36
What do **secondary consumers** consume?
Primary consumers.
## Footnote
The third level of the energy pyramid.
37
What does the **pyramid of numbers** illustrate?
The **number** of organisms per trophic level within an ecosystem.
38
Describe the composition of a typical ecosystem's **pyramid of numbers**.
1. Plants greatly outweigh primary consumer.
2. Fewer secondary consumers.
3. One or two top predators.
39
What does the **pyramid of biomass** compare in ecology?
The mass of organisms per trophic level.
40
Explain the composition of a typical ecosystem's **pyramid of biomass**.
1. Heaviest plants.
2. Less massive primary consumers.
3. Low biomass at high trophic levels.
41
What is a **pyramid of energy**?
Depicts the **amount of energy** within each trophic level.
42
What is a **decomposer**?
An organism that **breaks down** dead material and turns it into nutrients that primary producers depend on for growth.
## Footnote
Found throughout the energy pyramid.
43
What is the **role** of primary producers in an ecosystem?
Convert the sun's energy to a usable form of energy that is then available to all other organisms in an ecosystem.
44
What are **primary consumers**?
Organisms that **consume** primary producers.
## Footnote
The second trophic level of the energy pyramid.
45
What are some ecosystems with **non-traditional shaped pyramids** of biomass?
Coral reefs - many heavy carnivorous animals and few small producers.
46
What is the pyramid of energy always **shaped** like?
**Triangular**, due to Lindeman's Ten Percent Law.
## Footnote
Lindeman's law states that 10% of the energy available is transferred between trophic levels.
47
What are some **physiological processes** that cause energy loss in ecosystems?
* Breathing
* Digesting food
* Maintaining body temperatures
48
What are examples of **contaminants** in the **biomagnification** process?
* Heavy metals
* Pesticides like DDT
* Microplastics
* Pharmaceutical products
* Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs)
49
What are the **risks** associated with biomagnification?
* Negative impacts on reproduction and development of organisms.
* Interruption of the food chain.
50
What is the general **biomagnification process**?
Toxic chemicals are liberated from the environment and absorbed by primary producers in the food chain. As substances move up the chain, their concentration increases.
## Footnote
Primary Producers - concentration x10
Primary consumers - concentration x100
Secondary consumers - concentration x500
Tertiary consumers - concentration x5000
51
What are some **activities that contribute** to the biomagnification of toxic chemicals?
* Industrial factories emitting toxic substances.
* Mining in the ocean releasing heavy metals.
* Agriculture using pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
52
What is **biomagnification**?
The process where toxic chemicals accumulate in organisms and increase in concentration as they move up the food chain.
## Footnote
Examples:
* DDT in birds
* Toxic metals in fish
53
How do **heavy metals and PCBs** affect marine birds?
They cause marine birds to lay eggs with **thinner shells**.
54
How can biomagnification compromise **human health**?
By consuming animals and plants that have accumulated toxic chemicals, humans may suffer from diseases like cancer, kidney and liver failure, brain damage, birth defects, and heart diseases as those toxins are transferred to the human.
55
What caused the **declining vulture population** in India?
The prolonged consumption of **diclofenac-contaminated beef**, leading to kidney failure in vultures.
56
How do **PCBs** affect Arctic orcas?
PCBs accumulate in the food chain, leading to reproduction problems in orcas.
57
What happens when hawks consume pesticides?
Due to high pesticide concentration, hawks eventually become ill.
58
What is **DDT**?
Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, **an insecticide** that accumulates in the food chain and causes various harmful effects.
59
How does **mercury** affect organisms in the food chain?
Mercury accumulates in organisms, affecting their health, particularly in the central nervous system and kidneys.
## Footnote
Mercury bioaccumulates in fish, when humans consume those fish they risk mercury poisoning.
60
What are the **sources of mercury** introduced to the environment?
* Combustion of fossil products
* Mining industry
* Combustion of solid waste
* Use of fertilizers in agriculture
* Leaking of industrial wastewater to water bodies
61
How does **biomagnification** affect the food chain?
Organisms at lower levels contain small amounts of the compound, while organisms at higher levels accumulate large amounts by consuming multiple preys over their lives.
62
How is mercury **liberated** into the environment?
Mining, combustion, and other activities.
63
What are the harmful effects of **DDT**?
Causes cancer, reproductive system affections, and other symptoms.
64
What are **microplastics** and how are they generated?
Plastic particles of small size (less than 5 mm) generated through the degradation of plastic waste in water bodies.
65
What are the **impacts** of microplastics on organisms?
* Eating disorders
* Reproductive disorders
* Disturbances in energy metabolism
* Changes in physiology
* Damage to the central nervous system
* Carcinogenic effects
66
What provides **energy to all living things** on Earth for survival?
Sun
67
Which law of thermodynamics states that **energy cannot be created or destroyed**?
The **first law** of thermodynamics.
68
According to the **second law** of thermodynamics, what happens when energy is transferred?
Some of it is always **lost as heat**.
69
What **type of flow** does energy have in the ecosystem?
Unidirectional
## Footnote
Energy that is lost from one organism cannot be reused by another organism.
70
What is the **first factor** that affects the efficiency of energy transfer and flow?
Efficiency at the primary producer (plants) stage.
71
Which term describes the process where **matter is cycled** in an ecosystem?
Cycling
72
What is the process where plants use nutrients in the soil to create energy?
Photosynthesis
73
What is the term for molecules made of atoms that plants use for photosynthesis?
Nutrients
74
How is matter **recycled** in ecosystems?
* Plants absorb nutrients.
* Animals eat the plants.
* Animals excrete waste.
* Plants and animals die.
* Atoms in their waste and bodies reenter the soil.
* Other plants absorb the atoms continuing the cycle.
75
What are the two different types of **grassland biomes**?
* Savanna
* Temperate Grassland
76
What types of **plants** are commonly found on the **savanna**?
* Shrubs
* Grasses
* Few Trees
77
What types of **plants** are commonly found on **temperate grasslands**?
* Low to mid-range grasses
* Shrubs
* Succulents
* Short trees
* Grains
78
Where are **temperate deciduous forest** biomes located?
Midlatitudes
## Footnote
Experience warm, rainy summers and cold winters.
79
Where are **tropical rainforests** located?
Around the *equator*.
## Footnote
Hot, humid, rainy.
80
Where are **jungles** located?
Along the *equator*.
81
What can happen if a top predator is removed from an ecosystem?
**Trophic Cascade**
82
Describe **Trophic Cascade**.
There is a change to the food chain which disrupts the balance of an ecosystem due to the loss of a top predator.
83
What would happen if **autotrophs** were *removed* from an ecosystem?
Life would not be sustainable.
## Footnote
Heterotrophs need the autotrophs to convert the suns energy to ATP. Without autotrophs no other organisms would be able to survive.
84
What are the **levels** found within the hierarchical structure of the **biosphere**?
1. Biomes
2. Ecosystems
3. Communities
4. Populations
5. Organisms
6. Organ Systems
7. Organs
7. Tissues
8. Cells
9. Molecules
10. Atoms
85
What is the **water cycle** also known as?
The **hydrologic** cycle.
## Footnote
Hydro- means water
86
What is the process by which liquid water is heated and changes state to **gaseous water vapor**?
Evaporation
## Footnote
As water boils in a pot, steam is released in the form of water vapor.
87
What is the process through which **gaseous water vapor becomes liquid water**?
Condensation
## Footnote
Can occur through saturation or cooling to the dew point.
88
What is the process by which water **returns to Earth's surface from the atmosphere**?
Precipitation
## Footnote
Example: Rain, snow, sleet
89
How does sublimation **differ** from evaporation?
* **Sublimation** is the instantaneous change from frozen water, to water vapor.
* **Evaporation** is the change from liquid water to water vapor.
90
What is **transpiration** in the context of the water cycle?
It's the evaporation of liquid water from **within plants through their leaves**.
91
What is **runoff** and how does it occur?
Occurs when precipitation collects on the surface of the Earth and gravity pulls it, creating a flow.
92
What is the importance of **infiltration** in the water cycle?
It **returns water to the ground** by percolating down through the soil into the groundwater system.
93
How much of the water on Earth is **freshwater**?
Roughly 3%.
94
What are the two ways in which water changes phases from **liquid to gas**?
* Evaporation
* Transpiration
95
What are the **seven components** of the water cycle in order?
1. Evaporation
2. Condensation
3. Precipitation
4. Sublimation
5. Transpiration
6. Runoff
7. Infiltration
## Footnote
The stages of the water cycle do not need to go in order. Water can freely transition between a solid, liquid, and gas throughout cycle.
96
How does condensation occur through **saturation**?
Water vapor molecules collect within an air pocket and eventually become liquid water.
97
How does condensation occur through **cooling to the dew point**?
Water vapor molecules are cooled down to the temperature at which they become liquid.
98
What is the primary source of usable carbon for plants in the **carbon cycle**?
Carbon dioxide in the **atmosphere**.
99
What is the process in which oxygen is used to **convert organic molecules to carbon dioxide** and water and provide energy for the cell?
Cellular respiration
100
What is the **largest pool of carbon** in the world?
**Sediments** of the deep ocean.
101
What process takes the most carbon out of the **short-term carbon cycle**, on a net basis?
Formation of coral reefs.
## Footnote
Coral reefs achieve this by creating calcium carbonate exoskeletons that eventually form limestone, effectively storing carbon.
102
What is the **primary means of energy** storage, transfer, and usage in plants and animals?
Carbohydrates
103
What happens to most of the **carbon dioxide fixed by autotrophs** through photosynthesis?
Returned to the atmosphere as a **result of cellular respiration**.
104
Why is the percentage of Earth's carbon that is **actively being cycled** very small?
Due to the long-term storage of carbon.
## Footnote
Only 1% of the world's carbon is actively moved through the carbon cycle. The other 99% are found in carbon stores.
105
What is the process called when some bacteria **add hydrogen atoms** to atmospheric nitrogen to create ammonia?
Nitrogen Fixation
## Footnote
Ammonia created through nitrogen fixation is then released into the environment for other organisms to use.
106
What is the process by which **ammonia** is converted to **nitrite** and then to **nitrate** called?
Nitrification
107
In the nitrogen cycle, what process **converts nitrate back into atmospheric nitrogen**?
Denitrification
108
What ecological process occurs when **excess nutrients** are added to a body of water?
Eutrophication
## Footnote
Generally occurs when excess fertilizers, or untreated sewage run off into local waterways.
109
What is the result of the **combustion of organic materials** like fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere?
Acid Rain
110
What is the major reason why coal is considered to be the **dirtiest fossil fuel**?
**Burning coal** releases much greater quantities of pollutants into the air than burning natural gas does.
111
What are the **main pollutants** released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels and organic materials are burned?
* Carbon dioxide
* Sulfur dioxide
* Nitrogen oxides
112
What are the consequences of acid rain in lakes and soils with little buffering capacity?
It can **significantly lower the pH of the water and soil**, leading to the death of sensitive aquatic animals and deforestation in some areas.
113
What is the **phosphorus cycle**?
The flow of the essential element phosphorus from inorganic sources, through living organisms, and back into soils and rocks.
114
Why is the **phosphorus cycle** important?
It enables plants and animals to access the essential element phosphorus, which is necessary for DNA, RNA, cell membrane structure, bone mineralization, enzyme and hormone activity, and neuromuscular function.
115
Where does most of the phosphorus cycle take place?
A majority of phosphorus is bound to **soil, rocks, and sediments on Earth**, never found in the atmosphere as a gas.
116
List some roles of **phosphorus in plants**.
* Essential for plant growth.
* Facilitates reproduction.
* Aids in cellular respiration for energy production.
117
How is phosphorus **released back** into the environment?
Via **waste excretion** by animals, decomposition of plant and animal remains, and carried into waterways to be transported into soils.
118
What is a **biogeochemical cycle**?
The **cycling of elements** through organisms and the environment.
119
What is **artificial eutrophication**?
When excess nutrients like **phosphates** are carried into waterways, leading to **algal blooms** and **oxygen depletion**.
## Footnote
Human activity has impacted the phosphorus cycle through phosphate mining for use in fertilizers for agricultural crops.
120
What are the steps in the **phosphorus cycle**?
1. Weathering releases phosphates from rocks and sediments.
2. Plants absorb the phosphates from the soil.
3. Animals obtain phosphates by eating plants or other animals.
4. Decomposition of plants and animals returns phosphates back to the environment.
121
What is the **carbon cycle**?
The **movement of carbon** through living organisms and the environment.
## Footnote
Can be split into the short term and long term carbon cycles.
122
Describe the **short term** carbon cycle.
The pathways of carbon shared between living organisms, the atmosphere and the world's oceans.
123
Describe the **long term** carbon cycle.
Carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored.
## Footnote
Examples: Calcium carbonate skeletons of coral, oil and natural gas reservoirs under the ocean.
124
Describe the **nitrogen cycle**.
The movement and transformation of nitrogen as it moves through the atmosphere and environment.
125
# Define:
water cycle
The movement of water through Earth's atmosphere.
FTCE Biology 6-12
flashcards
Decks in class (25)
# Cards
-
Scientific Knowledge & Theories30
-
Experimental Design & Scientific Method98
-
Laboratory Tools, Safety & Measurement72
-
Science, Technology & Society162
-
Ethics in Scientific Research58
-
Cellular Biochemistry & Metabolic Pathways39
-
Enzyme Function & Biological Catalysis68
-
Cellular Respiration & Energy Pathways100
-
Biomolecular Structure & Function101
-
Cell Structure & Function160
-
Cellular Transport & Homeostasis102
-
Mendelian & Non-Mendelian Inheritance135
-
DNA, RNA & Protein Synthesis97
-
Genetic Variation & Population Diversity75
-
DNA & RNA Structure and Expression36
-
Homeostasis & Regulation in Organisms60
-
Plant Growth & Transport Systems122
-
Plant Responses & Storage Mechanisms107
-
Animal Structure and Evolutionary Adaptations50
-
Human Body Systems & Functions186
-
Ecosystem Interactions & Energy Flow183
-
Biogeochemical Cycles125
-
Ecosystem Dynamics & Resilience148
-
Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity105
-
Natural Selection & Adaptation72
