1Science 2200

Unit 1Test Review

Part 1
The following review sheet does NOT contain all the material that will be on the
upcoming quiz/test.
You must also understand the notes given, questions assigned, and sections of the
text covered.
If you have missed notes it is your responsibility to make up for the material you
missed.
Unit 1: Ecosystems Introduction
- Ecosystem a self supporting community of plants, animals and the non-living
environment.
E.g. Tundra, Boreal Forest, Ocean
Sustainable Development
- Once the environment was seen as having unlimited resources.
- We now understand that most resources are limited.
- Our goal now is to use resources without running out.
- Sustainable development using resources to meet our needs without reducing
the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
- Our resources are limited because the Earth is a closed system.
- Closed system only energy can enter or leave.
- The Earth is a closed system like a spaceship. How?
1. Only the suns energy can enter
2. There are a limited number of resources that must be used wisely.
3. There are non-renewable resources, which will run out.

Biodiversity
- Biodiversity the different species (kinds) of organisms in an area.
- For an ecosystem to exist there must be many different kinds of organisms so that
food webs will work.
- If you remove one organism from a food web, many more will be affected.
- Some organisms will loose a food source and decrease in numbers, others will
loose a predator and increase in number.
Ecology
- Ecology the study of ecosystems.
- If you were an ecologist you would study how biotic and abiotic factors influence
each other in an ecosystem.
- Habitat Where an organism lives.
- Population group of the same organism in the same area (habitat). E.g. a
school of fish in a pond.
- Community group of different organisms in the same area (habitat). E.g. a
pond may have different kinds of fish, insects, worms and ducks.
Competition
- Niche the role of an organism in its habitat. E.g. foxes and black bears live in
basically the same habitat but each survives by having its own niche: eating
different food, coping with winter differently, etc.
- Sometimes organisms eat the same food or want to live in exactly the same area.
- Competition when organisms compete for the same resources. E.g. Owls and
hawks eat mice. If each animal runs out of other food sources they will compete
for food.
- This could result in some animals not having enough food to survive.
- It could also lead to fights between these animals.
- Often competition results in one organism leaving the area.

Species At Risk p. 12-13

- When there is a change to the biotic or abiotic parts of the ecosystem the
organism become at risk
- At risk organisms that are in danger of dying out.
- Depending on the changes to the ecosystem, some organisms may be in greater
danger of dying out than others.
- There are several terms used to measure how severe this danger is:
1. Vulnerable in some areas the numbers of this organism are decreasing.
E.g. Atlantic cod.
2. Threatened if everything stays the same, these organisms will become
endangered. E.g. Peregrine falcon.
3. Extirpated when an organism no longer lives in an area. E.g. wolf in
Newfoundland.
4. Endangered an organism that is close to extinction. E.g. Eastern mountain
lion.
5. Extinct an organism that can be found nowhere. E.g. Labrador duck.
The Causes of Population Decline
1. Loss of habitat E.g. humans may cut down forests to build houses, forcing
birds to move away.
2. Pollution of air and water E.g. humans pollute water and fish die.
3. Natural environmental change E.g. Ponds may dry up and ducks have
nowhere to live.
4. Climate change E.g. global warming forces polar bears to move further
north.

5. Competition for food E.g. Moose were introduced to Newfoundland and

competed with caribou.
Energy Flow p. 22-25
- Everything is made of energy.
- Living things get their energy either from biotic sources (eating food) or abiotic
sources (the sun or volcanoes).
- Trophic level Feeding level. There are 5 we have to know.
- Primary Producers - Organisms which get energy from inorganic sources e.g.
plants.
- Primary Consumers - Organisms which get energy by eating primary producers
e.g. hare, caribou
- Secondary Consumers - Organisms which get energy by eating primary
consumers e.g. fox, owl.
- Tertiary Consumers Organisms which get energy by eating secondary
consumers e.g. pine martins.
- Decomposers Organisms which get energy by eating dead organisms e.g. fungi.
- As you go up the trophic levels the amount of energy decreases.
- This means there are fewer animals as you go up a food chain.
- Most of the energy an organism takes in is used up: reproducing, lost as waste or
lost as heat.
- Only about 10% of the energy in any trophic level can actually be used by the
next level up.

- Pyramid of Energy a diagram that shows how much energy is available in

each trophic level.
- Pyramid of Numbers - a diagram that shows how many organisms are in each
trophic level.
- Pyramid of Biomass - a diagram that shows how much dry mass is in each
trophic level.
Questions:
1. Describe an example of sustainable development.

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2. What would you need to develop a sustainable ecosystem on the Moon?

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3. Name and describe three types of ecosystems.

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4. Give an example of organisms which compete and a resource they compete

for.

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5. What is the difference in habitat and niche?

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6. What is the difference in community and population?

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7. In your own words describe the classification system for species at risk.

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8. How can human activity lead to biodiversity loss?

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2Science 2200

Part 2
The following review sheet does NOT contain all the material that will be on the
upcoming quiz/test. You must also understand the notes given, questions assigned,
and sections of the text covered. If you have missed notes it is your responsibility
to make up for the material you missed.
Human Impact on Energy Flow
- Humans once took only what they needed from the environment and this had
little impact on the energy in an ecosystem.
- Populations grew because of better medicines and jobs available in cities.
- Cities use a lot of energy in a very small space and areas around cities have to be
used for farmland.
- This damages local ecosystems.
Energy Flow and Predators
- Humans also affect ecosystems and energy flow by directly killing animals. E.g
The wolf was extirpated in Newfoundland by humans.
- Removing predators upsets food chains and food webs.
- The prey increase in number.
- What the prey eat will then decrease in number.
- This will cause the prey to begin to starve.
- In some parts of Newfoundland there is a serious problem because there are no
wolves.
- In Terra Nova national park the large numbers of moose and hare may lead to
them destroying the park.
- Predators also help maintain biodiversity in ecosystems.
- Predators keep the numbers of their prey low.
- This prevents prey from competing too much with each other and other species.
- If competition is too high, some species will be become extirpated.
- Others will eat too much of the food in the area and begin to starve.

Global Warming

- Billions of years ago the Earth had much more carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.
- Human activity during the last 100 years has increased the amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere.
- Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat from the sun causing global
warming.
- Global warming results increased temperatures and more energetic weather
systems, i.e. more hurricanes.
Cycling of Matter p. 26-29
- Energy flows through an ecosystem. Atoms and chemical compounds do not
flow, they cycle.
- Atoms and chemical compounds remain constant in an ecosystem.
- Instead of flowing, they change their form. E.g. water.
- Water goes from being a liquid in ponds or the ocean to water vapour (a gas)
when the liquid evaporates to liquid rain or solid ice.
The Carbon cycle
- The process of carbon going from a solid to a gas form and back again is the
carbon cycle.
- All life is based on carbon.
- The solids include organic (biotic) molecules such as glucose (sugar). The gas is
carbon dioxide.
- Two biological reactions cycle carbon between these forms:
1. Photosynthesis the process where plants use light energy to make sugar. This
process takes carbon from a gas and puts it into a solid.
2. Cellular respiration the process where plants and animals use sugar to make
energy. This process takes carbon from a solid and puts it into a gas.

The Nitrogen Cycle

- All living things need nitrogen to make proteins.

- Nitrogen can go from a gas (78% of the air) to a solid.
- Bacteria in the soil can take nitrogen gas and make solid nitrogen.
- Plants take solid nitrogen and use it.
- Animals get solid nitrogen by eating plants or other animals.
- Some of the bacteria that make solid nitrogen live inside plants.
- The bacteria get food and a safe place to live.
- The plants get nitrogen they can use form the bacteria.
Succession p. 48-49
- Succession the process that turns one ecosystem into another.
- Climax community the community of biotic factors that exist after succession
occurs.
- Many factors influence the speed of succession. These can be put into two
categories:
1. Gradual change occurs over decades or centuries. E.g Glaciers melt, ponds
dry up, forests are buried in snow.
2. Sudden change starts in hours to years. E.g. Meteorite impact, volcanic
eruption, human activity.
Human Impact on Succession p.32-33
- A major problem occurs when farms are fertilized.
- If too much fertilizer is used the soil becomes acidic.
- If the soil becomes too acidic, nothing can grow.
- Also when a farm is fertilized and the fertilizer enters the soil, then it enters ponds
or rivers.
- When in the ponds it causes algae to grow. (Algae bloom)
- When the algae dies bacteria decompose it.
- Those bacteria us up a lot of oxygen and animals and plants in the pond die.
- Organic Farm a farm that does not use pesticides nor fertilizer.

Questions

1. What problems were caused by the removal of wolves from Newfoundland.

2. What biological reactions are involved in the carbon cycle? How are they
like opposites?

3. Label a diagram of the carbon cycle.

4. Why is nitrogen important to living things?

5. Label a diagram of the nitrogen cycle.

6. What is a climax community? List two types of climax communities near

Nain.

7. How can fertilizing farms affect ecosystems?

8. List two advantages and disadvantages of organic farms?

9. How did humans affect the ecosystems around Nain 200 years ago? How do
we effect ecosystems in Nain today?

3Case Study. Answer the following questions based on the description below. (6
points)

Logging in Southern Labrador has brought a lot of new jobs to that area. Now a
Nain resident wants to start a lumber mill near Nain.
He wants to remove trees by clear cutting, a technique where a lot of trees are cut
down at once. He plans to use a large area of land and cut trees only in a small
section each year. When he is done cutting trees he will burn the plants left over to
use as fertilizer.
He hopes that by the time he has cut all the trees, new trees will have grown up
where he started cutting.
1. What effect will cutting trees have on the local ecosystem? (2 points)
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2. a) What effect will cutting trees have on global warming? (1 point)
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b) What effect will burning plants have on global warming? (1 point)

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3. What could this person do lessen the impact on the environment? (2 points)
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4Matching. (3 points)
Global Warming

Hours to years

Succession

Wolf

Sudden Change

Carbon dioxide

Sustainable development

Nitrogen

Predator

Ecosystems change

Gradual change

Decades or centuries

5Science 2200
Part 3

Biomes p. 42-44
- Biome a large portion of the biosphere that takes in several similar
ecosystems.
- There are 4 biomes in Canada.
Boreal forest
Tundra
Temperate deciduous forest
Grassland
- Biogeography the study of the places where organisms are. I.e. char
are found in the ocean, mountain goats in mountains.
Soil p.46
- Soil is a very important part of land ecosystems.
- The amount and type of soil determines what types of plants will grow
in an area.
- Soil is made up of several layers:
1. Topsoil- a dark fertile layer that contains small rocks and
decaying organic matter called humus. This layer contains lots of
nutrients, oxygen and water and is good for growing plants.
2. Subsoil found below the topsoil. It is a lighter colour, has
fewer nutrients, and lager pieces of rock.
3. Bedrock solid rock found below soil.
The Formation of Soil p.46-47

- All soil begins as solid rock.

- Over time it is broken down into smaller pieces by weathering.
- Weathering when rock is broken down by rain, wind, frost and
snow.

Population p.38-41
- Population a group of the same species living in the same area.
- Histogram a bar graph
- If the age of individuals is put into a histogram, you can tell if a
population is getting bigger or smaller.

Logging p.50-51
- Logging is a very important industry.
- It provides jobs and valuable products.
- There are many types of logging:
1. Clear Cutting - All the trees in an area are cut down. However
it is cheap and safe for the loggers.
2. Strip Cutting - Trees are cut down in large strips, but the trees
next to them are left standing. This is more expensive.
3. Selective Cutting - Only certain trees throughout a forest are cut
down. This is the most expensive and least safe.

- Of these three methods, clear cutting has the largest impact on

ecosystems

Biotic Potential: The maximum number of children that a

species could produce, if resources were unlimited
Carrying capacity: The maximum population of a species that
can be supported by an ecosystem (for all generations)
Limiting factors: Any resource that is in short supply . ex. food,
water etc.
Questions:
1. Draw a population bar graph (histogram) Where:
a) The population is getting larger?

b) Smaller?
c) Staying the same?

2. What are the four biomes in Canada? Which ones are found in
Nunatsiavut?

3. Describe the three layers of soil.

4. How is soil formed from rocks?

5. What are the three types of logging? Which is the worst for the
environment, why?