Topic 10 - Ecosystems

Question 1

ecosystems (noun)

Answer 1

interaction btwn living organisms and the environment

Question 2

abiotic means

Answer 2

non-living parts
- Non living chemical and physical part sof the environment

Question 3

biotic means

Answer 3

living parts

Question 4

Community

Answer 4

all organsims living in a particular community

Question 5

Biodiversity

Answer 5

Variety of different species in an area

Question 6

what is a producer?

Answer 6

any photosynthetic (creates its own food by photosynthesis) organism

Question 7

What is trophic level?

Answer 7

position organism holds in a food chain/web, pyramids of energy or biomass

Question 8

what is dry mass and why good

Answer 8

• it’s the acc mass of the organism bc there is no water included

Question 9

what is biomass?

Answer 9

the dry mass of all the living organisms in an area

Question 10

how can ecosystem structure be represented?

Answer 10

• via a pyramid of number, biomass, or enegy

Question 11

pyramids of numbers?

easy/hard/accurate to measure? and the bad side?

Answer 11

• easiest to measure but can be distorted by large organisms

1 oak tree can feed a hundred worms

Question 12

pyramids of biomass?

easy/hard/accurate to measure? and the bad side?

Answer 12

• more accurate, but dry mass has to be used and they don’t account for rate of production of biomass

Question 13

pyramids of energy?

easy/hard/accurate to measure? and the bad side?

Answer 13

• most accurate, but more difficultto measure and use an outdated definition of enegy

Question 14

Ecosystems vary in size.
4 Varied sizes of ecosystems?

Answer 14

• biosphere
• biome
• habitat
• microhabitat

Question 15

biosphere

Answer 15

• all life supporting environments on the earths surface

Question 16

biome

Answer 16

• major ecosystems, e.g tundra, desert

tundra = cold dessert, layer of is=ce below the soil

Question 17

habitat

Answer 17

natural home/environment for organisms to live

Question 18

microhabitat

Answer 18

• localised/ small scale environment that supports a distinct flora and fauna (e.g pond, apple)

Question 19

Niche?

Answer 19

Organisms role/place in an eco-system.

Question 20

Population?

Answer 20

Number of organisms of a specific species.

Question 21

Distribution?

Answer 21

Spread of an organism in a habitat/environment.

Question 22

How do eco-systems change?
Why might they change?

Answer 22

-Deforestation -> Losing habitat/food source
-Hunting -> Killing them out. Loss of animal + Potential food for others.
-Introducing new species
-Migration -> New Predator
-Natural Fires/Natural DIsasters
-New Diseases (Plants/animals/food sources)

Question 23

Troph (Latin meaning) ?

Answer 23

Feeding

Question 24

Hetro (Latin meaning)

Answer 24

Other

Question 25

Auto (Latin meaning)

Answer 25

Self

Question 26

Vores (Latin meaning) ## Footnote Carnivore/Herbivore

Answer 26

Eating/Feeder

Question 27

Detriti (Latin meaning)

Answer 27

Waste

Question 28

3 Groups of Biotic Factors

Answer 28

Produces/Autotrophs Consumers/Heterotrophs Decomposes/Detritivores

Question 29

Order of the food chain

Answer 29

Primary Consumer (Herbivore) -> Secondary Consumer (Carnivore) -> Tertiary Consumer -> Decomposer (Micro-organisms that break down organism's remains E.g. Fungi and bacteria)

Question 30

Food chain?

Answer 30

Sequence of feeding interactions between organisms in a given habitat.

Question 31

What is productivity?

Answer 31

Refers to the rate of generation of biomass in an eco-system.

Question 32

What is a decomposer?

Answer 32

bacteriaor fungi that break down dead animal/palnt material

Question 33

What is a consumer?

Answer 33

a living creature that eats organisms from a different population

Question 34

2 types of productivity?

Answer 34

- gross primary productivity - net primary productivity

Question 35

what is GPP (Gross Primary Productivity)

Answer 35

- amt of organic matter synthesised by producers per unit area in unit time - refers to total productivity including energy utilised for respiration by the producers - depends on chlorophyll content GPP - rate of increased body mass or rate of organic matter synthesised by producers + rate of respiration and other damages (How much biomass that grass is making for that area, over a specific time.)

Question 36

What is NPP (Net Primary Productivity)

Answer 36

- amt of organic matter stored by producers per unit area in unit time - refers to net productivity that is converted to organic matter excluding the energy utilised for respiration (R) by the producers - Depends of chlorophyll content NPP = rate of organic matter syntheised by photosythesis by producers - the rate of energy utilised for respiration (R) and other damages

Question 37

What is organic matter

Answer 37

Refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come from the feces and remains of organisms such as plants and animals

Question 38

What is productivity?

Answer 38

rate of generation of biomass in an ecosystem (is measured as biomass in a given area in a given time) - its the percentage of energy entering the ecosystem incorporated into biomass in a particular trophic level

Question 39

what is the equation for Net Primary Productivity

Answer 39

NPP= GPP - R

Question 40

Equation for Gross Primary Productivity

Answer 40

NPP + R = GPP

Question 41

# random Stochasticity

Answer 41

element of unpredictability variability in anything (lack of consistency or fixed pattern; liability to vary or change)

Question 42

Equation for enegy effiency

Answer 42

(energy transferred to next level / total energy in) x100 effiency = (biomass transferred to the next trophic level/Biomass available at the next trophic level ) x100

Question 43

How do ecosystems evolve?

Answer 43

thtough ecological succession

Question 44

what is ecological succession?

Answer 44

process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time

Question 45

what are the 2 types of ecological succession?

Answer 45

- primary succession - secondary succession

Question 46

what is primary succession?

Answer 46

- occurs in lifeless areas - regions where soil i sincapabl eof sustaining life (e.i bc of lava flow, or rocks left by retreating glaciers)

Question 47

what is Secondary succession?

Answer 47

- process started by an event (e.g a forest fire, harvesting, hurricane) that reduces an already established ecosystem (e.g a forest, a wheat field) to a smaller population of species, as such, secondary succession occurs on a pre-existing soil.

Question 48

Climax community model?

Question 49

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis