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349 Terms
1
Plants
________ and animals that reside in the littoral zone receive abundant sunlight.
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2
symbiotic relationships
In commensalism ________ (commensalism), one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor hurt.
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3
freshwater bodies
Like ________, oceans are divided into zones based on changes in light and temperature.
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4
Mangroves
________ are characterized by trees, shrubs, and other plants that can grow in brackish tidal waters and are often located in estuaries, which, as you learned earlier, are areas where freshwater meets salt water.
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5
Genetic drift
________ is the accumulation of changes in the frequency of alleles over time due to sampling errors- changes that occur as a result of random chance.
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6
North America
In ________, mangrove swamps are found from the southern tip of Florida along the entire Gulf Coast to Texas; Floridas southwest coast supports one of the largest mangrove swamps in the world.
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7
Littoral zone
________: Begins with the very shallow water at the shoreline.
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8
Algae
________ in marine biomes supply a large portion of the Earth's oxygen, and also take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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9
Earth
When precipitation falls onto the ________, it may infiltrate the surface and percolate through soil and rock until it reaches the water table to become groundwater, or it may travel across the land's surface as runoff and enter a drainage system, such as a stream or river, which will eventually deposit it into a body of water such as a lake or an ocean.
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10
Predation
________ occurs when one species (a predator) feeds on another (prey), and it drives changes in population size.
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11
Lakes
________ and oceans are reservoirs for water.
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12
Biodiversity
________ in all forms is the result of evolution.
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13
Phylogenetic trees
________ can be very broad and encompass many types of species, or they could be very specific and describe the evolutionary relationships that exist between two species (or even the genome of one species.
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14
Ecosystems
________ are the result of the biotic and abiotic components interacting.
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15
Grand Banks
Commercial or economic extinction is when a few individuals exist but the effort needed to locate and harvest them is not worth the expense (for example, the groundfish population of the ________ off the Maritimes of Canada)
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16
barrier islands
Because ________ are created by the buildup of deposited sediments, their boundaries are constantly shifting as water moves around them.
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17
physical surroundings
When a habitat (an organism's ________) selects certain organisms to live and reproduce and others to die, that population is said to be undergoing natural selection.
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18
micro evolution
When a population displays small- scale changes over a relatively short period of time, ________ has occurred.
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19
calciferous shell
The organisms responsible for the creation of coral reefs are cnidarians, which secrete a hard, ________; these shells provide homes and shelter for an incredible diversity of species, but they are also extremely delicate and thus very vulnerable to physical stresses as well as changes in light intensity, water temperature, ocean depth, and pH.
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20
total genetic makeup
What changes during evolution is the ________ of the population or gene pool, and natural selection is one of the mechanisms by which evolution operates.
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21
Coral bleaching
________ occurs when acidic conditions cause the coral to expel the colorful algae which provided them with food.
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22
water cycle
In the ________, water might exist in the form of a cloud for a few days, but it might exist as part of the ocean for a thousand years.
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23
Extinction
________ occurs when a species can not adapt quickly enough to environmental change and all members of the species die.
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24
community of living organisms
An ecosystem is a system of interconnected elements: a(n) ________ and its environment.
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25
Bathyal zone
________: The middle region; is colder and darker and does not receive enough light to support photosynthesis, so the density of organisms that live there is less.
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26
Evolution
________ is the change in a populations genetic composition over time.
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27
The ________ protects the sea anemone from some of its predators, while the stinging cells of the anemone protect the clownfish; the fish also eats some of the detritus left behind when the anemone feeds.
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28
Coastal zone
________: This zone consists of the ocean water closest to land.
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29
Ocean
The increase in ________ temperatures and dissolved CO, due to climate change is resulting in more acidic waters resulting in coral bleaching.
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30
Biotic components
________- life- require resources to flourish, and the availability of those resources influences the interactions between species and their interactions with the environment over time the most influential fundamental interaction between and among ecosystems is that of evolution- which produces life as we know it.
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31
Land environments
________ are separated into biomes based on factors such as climate, geology, and soils.
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32
Biological extinction
________ is the true extermination of a species.
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33
Benthic zone
________: The surface and sub- surface layers of the river,- lake,- pond,- or stream bed, characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels and inhabited by organisms that live on, in, or below the sediment surface, including bottom- feeders, scavengers, and decomposers (including microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi)
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34
Abyssal zone
________: This is the deepest region of the ocean.
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35
Then well examine the biotic components of ecosystems
living systems -and how energy is used among them
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36
An ecosystem is a system of interconnected elements
a community of living organisms and its environment
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37
Strictly speaking, a species is defined as a group of organisms that are capable of breeding with one another
and incapable of breeding with other species
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38
These breeding variances could be a result of a chance event
such as an earthquake that drastically reduces the size of the nesting population one year
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39
Some species interact quite a bit with other members of their population; for example, some animals form herds, while other species are loners
like bears
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40
Competition arises when two individuals of the same species or of different species
are competing for resources in the environment
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41
The resources that are competed for can be food, air, shelter, sunlight, and various other factors necessary for life
individuals may be competing to live in a fallen tree, to catch a running rabbit, or to mate with the most desirable female in the population
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42
That's right
the others are eliminated by competition
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43
One more thing about competition
when two different species in a region compete and the better-adapted species win, this phenomenon is called competitive exclusion
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44
They can coexist because each species feeds in a different part of the tree
the trunk, at the ends of the branches, and at other sites
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45
Keep in mind that many types of species can engage in both short
and long-term migration, for reasons including food and water availability, temperature changes, mating opportunities, and safety from predation
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46
As a final note about predation
while it's tempting to think of predation existing only between animals, remember that herbivores prey on plants and Zooplankton on phytoplankton
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47
In mutualistic symbiotic relationships (mutualism), both species benefit
for example this type of relationship exists between sea anemones and clown fish
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48
The two largest categories are broken down in this way
ecosystems that are based on land are called biomes, while those in aqueous environments are known as aquatic life zones
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49
The transitional area where two ecosystems meet actually has a name
these areas are called ecotones
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50
Another important term that you should be familiar with for the exam is ecozones
ecozones (also called ecoregions) are smaller regions within ecosystems that share similar physical features
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51
Recall that aquatic life zones are the equivalents of biomes in aquatic ecosystems categorized primarily by the salinity of their water
freshwater and saltwater ecosystems fall into separate categories
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52
Littoral zone
Begins with the very shallow water at the shoreline
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53
Benthic zone
The surface and sub-surface layers of the river-, lake-, pond-, or stream bed, characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels and inhabited by organisms that live on, in, or below the sediment surface, including bottom-feeders, scavengers, and decomposers (including microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi)
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54
Coastal zone
This zone consists of the ocean water closest to land
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55
Euphotic zone
The photic, upper layers of water
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56
Bathyal zone
The middle region; is colder and darker and does not receive enough light to support photosynthesis, so the density of organisms that live there is less
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57
Abyssal zone
This is the deepest region of the ocean
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58
Now that we've outlined what the major biomes and aquatic life zones look like, let's take some time to discuss the abiotic elements of ecosystems
specifically, the elements that bridge the gap between the nonliving and the living-water, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus they cycle through the environment, bringing the key components that ecosystems need to function and burgeon with life
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59
The energy that drives these biogeochemical cycles in the biosphere comes primarily from sources
the sun and the heat energy from the mantle and core of the Earth
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60
Let's start with perhaps the best-known biogeochemical cycle
the water cycle
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61
Humans
________ have affected the phosphorus cycle by mining phosphorus- rich rocks in order to produce fertilizers.
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62
Human disruptions
________ to ecosystem services can detrimentally affect our ability to benefit from them, resulting in ecological and economic consequences for us.
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63
NPP
________ is measured in kilocalories per square meter per year (kcal /m2 /y)
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64
Saprotrophs
________: These are decomposers that use enzymes to break down dead organisms and absorb the nutrients; they include bacteria and fungi.
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65
Species of plants
________ and animals are continually coming and going, evolving and dying out.
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66
trophic level
The amount of energy (in kilocalories) available at each ________ organized from greatest to least is an energy pyramid.
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67
Breathe
________ in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, and photosynthesis, in which plants take in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates.
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68
Detritivores
________: The organisms in this group derive energy from consuming nonliving organic matter such as dead animals or fallen leaves.
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69
medicinal resources
There are four categories: provisioning services: providing humans with water, food, ________, raw materials, energy, and ornaments; regulating services: waste decomposition and detoxification, purification of water and air, pest and disease control and regulation of prey populations through predation, and carbon sequestration; cultural services: use of nature for science and education, therapeutic and recreational uses, and spiritual and cultural uses; and supporting services (the ones that make other services possible): primary production, nutrient recycling, soil formation, and pollination.
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70
net productivity
A disturbance in an ecosystem will affect the total biomass, species richness, and ________ over time.
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71
Nitrogen
________ is the most abundant element in the atmosphere.
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72
Phosphates
________ that enter the water table and travel to the oceans can eventually be incorporated into rocks in the ocean floor.
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73
Phosphorus
________ is usually released in the form of phosphate (PO43),- which is soluble and can be absorbed from the soil by plants.
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74
human activity
When sulfur enters the atmosphere through ________, its mainly via industrial processes that produce sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gases.
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75
Animals
________ obtain sulfur by consuming plants.
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76
enormous scales
When big changes occur in the environment, habitats can change on ________, which in turn can cause extinctions, bottlenecks, and short- and long- term migrations among the species inhabiting the affected ecosystems.
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77
Food webs
________ contain positive and negative feedback loops, so that when one species is added or removed, the rest of the ________ is affected, sometimes drastically.
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78
volcanic eruptions
The natural ways that sulfur enters the atmosphere are through ________, certain bacterial functions, decomposition in estuaries, and the decay of once- living organisms.
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79
inorganic chemicals
While most producers make food through photosynthesis, a few autotrophs make food from ________ in anaerobic (without oxygen) environments, through the process of chemosynthesis.
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80
nitrites
In denitrification, specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia back into ________ and nitrates, and then into nitrogen gas (N) and nitrous oxide.
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81
Eutrophication
________ occurs when a body of water receives excess nutrients.
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82
disappearance of trout
The ________ from a particular habitat is a warning that that habitat is becoming polluted.
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83
Indigenous species
________ are those that originate and live or occur naturally in an area or environment.
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84
Chemosynthesis
________ is only carried out by a few specialized bacteria, called chemotrophs, some of which are found in hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean.
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85
Decomposers
________: These are organisms that consume dead plant and animal material.
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86
Gross Primary Productivity
It is calculated by taking the ________, which is the amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis, and subtracting from it the amount of energy the plants need for growth, maintenance, repair, and reproduction.
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87
Net Primary Productivity
The ________ (NPP) is the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem.
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88
Producers
________ are organisms that are capable of converting radiant energy, or chemical energy, into carbohydrates.
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89
Earths atmosphere
The ________ is made up of approximately 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen.
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90
large proportion
When a(n) ________ of a population is lost, this leads to a bottleneck, which can reduce genetic diversity within the species.
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91
term biodiversity
The ________ is used to describe the number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region, or ecosystem.
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92
Lichens
________ are pioneer organisms.
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93
Consumers
________ are organisms that must obtain food energy from secondary sources, for example, by eating plant or animal matter.
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94
Sulfur
________ is one of the components that make up proteins and vitamins, so plants and animals both need ________ in their diets.
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95
primary consumer
When eating a hamburger with toppings, you are a(n) ________ because you are eating tomatoes and lettuce, and a secondary consumer by eating the beef.
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96
Trout
________ are a common indicator species, because they are particularly sensitive to pollutants in water.
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97
Food chains
________ are usually represented as a series of steps, in which the bottom step is the producer and the top step is a secondary or tertiary consumer.
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98
net productivity
It can be many things: space, available food, water, nutrients, and as we just mentioned, the ________ of an ecosystem.
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99
food webs
When something changes in an ecosystem, the effects of that change can quickly spread, partly because ________ link species together.
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100
Lichens
________ are hardy organisms.
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