36

ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN INTERFERENCES

CHAPTER REVIEW
An ecosystem is a community of organisms plus the physical and chemical environment. Some populations are producers and some are consumers. Producers are autotrophs that produce their own food. Consumers are heterotrophs that take in preformed food. Consumers may be herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, or decomposers. Energy flows through an ecosystem. Producers transform solar energy into food for themselves and all consumers. As herbivores feed on plants and carnivores feed on herbivores, energy is converted to heat. When feces, urine, and dead bodies become food for decomposers, all the solar energy that enters an ecosystem is converted to heat. Therefore, ecosystems require a continual supply of solar energy. Chemicals are not lost from the biosphere. They recycle within and between ecosystems. Decomposers return some portion of inorganic nutrients to autotrophs, and other portions are imported of exported between ecosystems in global cycles. The food webs of ecosystems contain grazing food chains (begin with a producer) and detrital food chains (begin with detritus). A trophic level includes all the organisms that feed at a particular link in food chains. In general, biomass and energy content decrease from one trophic level to the next as is depicted in an ecological pyramid. The global cycling of inorganic elements involves the biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem. Cycles usually contain (1) a reservoir (a source normally unavailable to organisms), (2) a pool (a source available to organisms), and (3) the biotic community. In the water cycle, evaporation of ocean waters and transpiration from plants contributes to aerial moisture. Rainfall over land results in bodies of fresh water plus ground water. Eventually all water returns to the oceans. In the carbon cycle, respiration by organisms adds as much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as photosynthesis removes. Human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and trees adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and other gases trap heat, leading to global warming. The effects of global warming could be a rise in sea level and a change in climate patterns, with disastrous effects. In the nitrogen cycle, the biotic community keeps nitrogen recycling back to producers. Human activities convert atmospheric nitrogen to fertilizer, which when broken by soil bacteria adds nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere. Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide react with water vapor to form acids that contribute to acid deposition. Acid deposition is killing lakes and forests, and it also corrodes marble, metal, and stonework. Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons (HC) react to form smog, which contains ozone and PAN. These oxidants are harmful to animal and plant life. In the phosphorus cycle, the biotic community recycles phosphorus back to the producers, and only limited quantities are made available by the weathering of rocks. Phosphates are mined for fertilizer production, and fertilizers overenrich lakes and ponds. Global warming, acid deposition, and water pollution reduce biodiversity. Ozone shield destruction, which is associated with CFCs, is expected to result in decreased productivity of the oceans. Tropical rain forests are being destroyed in numerous ways, and many organisms that could possibly benefit humans are threatened. Conservation biology is a new discipline that pulls together information from a number of biological fields to determine how to manage ecosystems for the benefit of all species.

S T U DY E X E R C I S E S ( P. 744)
Study the text section by section as you answer the questions that follow.

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36.1 THE NATURE

OF

ECOSYSTEMS (P . 744)

An ecosystem is a community of organisms along with its physical and chemical environment. Autotrophs make their own food; photoautotrophs carry on photosynthesis. Heterotrophs, on the other hand, take in preformed food. Solar energy enters biotic communities via photosynthesis, and as organic molecules pass from one organism to another, heat is returned to the atmosphere. Chemicals cycle within and between ecosystems in global biogeochemical cycles. 1. Match the description with the following terms: 1 carnivores 2 consumers 3 decomposers 4 herbivores 5 omnivores 6 autotrophs a. organisms of decay b. feed only on other animals c. producers in an ecosystem d. heterotrophs eating preformed food e. feed directly on green plants f. feed on both plants and animals 2. Fill in the diagram with the following terms: decomposers, consumers, producers, inorganic nutrient pool
heat heat

sun

a. _____________

b. ______________

d. _____________

c. ______________

heat

heat

3. Energy (solid arrows in diagram for question 2) doesnt cycle in an ecosystem. Explain on the basis of the second law of thermodynamics. a. _____________________________________________________________ Chemicals (open arrows in diagram) do cycle in an ecosystem. Explain by referring to the diagram. b. _______ ________________________________________________________________________________________

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Questions 46 are based on the following diagram:

Grazing food web Detritus food web

birds fruits and nuts chipmunks hawks

mice leaves owls snakes

leaf-eating insects

old leaves, dead twigs rabbits skunks

fishers

deer

shrews

foxes

bacteria and fungi

detritus invertebrates

carnivorous invertebrates

salamanders

4. From this food web, formulate a grazing food chain. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. From this food web, formulate a detritus food chain. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Explain one way in which the detritus food web and the grazing food web are always connected. ________________________________________________________________________________________

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Questions 710 are based on the following diagram:

top carnivores

carnivores

herbivores

producers

7. Each level of a pyramid represents a trophic level. With reference to the grazing food web, name an organism at the first trophic level. a. __________________ Two organisms at the second trophic level. b. __________________ Two organisms at the third trophic level. c. __________________ 8. With reference to a pyrmid of energy, why is each trophic level reduced in size? a. __________________ Why is there a limited number of trophic levels? b. __________________

36.2 GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES (P . 748)

Biogeochemical cycles are gaseous (carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle) or sedimentary (phosphorus cycle) The addition of carbon dioxide (and other gases) to the atmosphere is associated with global warming. The production of fertilizers from nitrogen gas is associated with acid deposition, photochemical smog, and temperature inversions. Fertilizer also contains mined phosphate; fertilizer runoff is associated with water pollution. 9. Examine the following diagram and then answer the questions:
human activities

pr

er uc od

reservoir

exchange pool
atmosphere soil water

biotic community

fossil fuels mineral in rocks sediment in oceans

co mp osers

What is a reservoir? a. ______________________________________________________________________ What is an exchange pool? b. _________________________________________________________________ What is a biotic community? c. _______________________________________________________________ Explain the arrows labeled human activities. d. ___________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 310

consumers

de

The Water Cycle (p. 749) 10. Complete this diagram of the water cycle by: filling in the boxes, using these terms: ice, H 2 O in the atmosphere, ocean, groundwaters labeling the arrows, using these terms: precipitation (twice), transpiration from plants and evaporation from soil, evaporation, transport of water vapor by wind.

a.

b.

c. d.

e.

f.

lake

runoff

aquifer i. h.

g.

11. Select the statements that are true about the water cycle. a. Water cycles between the land, the atmosphere, and the ocean and vice versa. b. We could run out of fresh water. c. The ocean receives more precipitation than the land. d. Water that is in the aquifers never reaches the oceans. The Carbon Cycle (p. 750) 12. In the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by the process of a. ____________ but is returned to the atmosphere by the process of b. ____________ Living things and dead matter in soil are carbon c. ____________ and so are the d .____________ because of shell accumulation. In aquatic ecosystems, carbon dioxide from the air combines with water to produce e. ______________ that algae can use for photosynthesis. In what way do humans alter the exchange rates in the carbon cycle? f. ________________

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13. Fill in the table to indicate the source of gases that cause the greenhouse effect:
Gas From
a. b. c.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) Nitrous oxide (N2O) Methane (CH4)

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Why are these gases called the greenhouse gases? d. ___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. Place an x beside all those statements that may be expected because of global warming. a. a global temperature increase by as much as 4.5 C b. melting of glaciers and a rise in sea level c. massive fish kills and plant destruction d. dryer conditions inland where droughts may occur e. expansion of forests into Arctic areas The Nitrogen Cycle (p.752)

N2 IN ATMOSPHERE

N2 fixation denitrification human activities nitrification denitrification

N2 fixation

runoff plants nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules and soil dead organisms and animal waste BIOTIC COMMUNITY NO3 NH4+ BIOTIC COMMUNITY denitrifying bacteria cyanobacteria NO3

denitrifying bacteria

phytoplankton

decomposers NO2 NH4+ nitrifying bacteria decomposers sedimentation

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Questions 15 and 16 are based on the following diagram: 15. Match the definitions with the following terms: 1 denitrifying bacteria 2 nitrifying bacteria 3 nitrogen-fixing bacteria a. bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. b. bacteria that convert ammonium to nitrate c. bacteria in legume nodules that convert nitrogen gas to ammonium 16. Plants cannot utilize nitrogen gas. What are two ways in which plants receive a supply of nitrogen for incorporation into proteins and nucleic acids? ________________________________________________________ 17. When humans produce fertilizers, the gas a. ____________ Is removed from the atmosphere and changed to b. ____________, which enters the atmosphere. Acid deposition occurs when nitrogen oxides and c. ____________ in the atmosphere are converted to acids that return to Earth. 18. Place an x beside all those statements that may be expected because of acid deposition. a. dying forests b. lower agricultural yields c. sterile lakes d. corroded marble, metal and stonework 19. Photochemical smog arises when a. ____________ and b. ____________ react with one another in the presence of sunlight. Smog contains the pollutants c. ____________ and d. ____________. 20. Place an x beside all those effects that may be expected from the occurrence of smog. a. breathing difficulties b. damage to plants c. thermal inversions d. cleaner air than usual The Phosphorus Cycle (p.754) 21. Place a check in front of the statement(s) that describe(s) the results when producers take up phosphate. a. become a part of phospholipids b. becomes a part of ATP c. becomes a part of nucleotides d. become a part of the atmosphere 22. Indicate whether the statements that follow are true (T) or false (F). Rewrite all false statements to be true statements. a. Excess phosphate in bodies of water may cause radiation poisoning. Rewrite: __________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ b. Most ecosystems have plenty of phosphate. Rewrite: ______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ c. The phosphorus cycle is a sedimentary cycle. Rewrite: ____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ d. Phosphate enters ecosystems by being taken up by animals. Rewrite: _________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

36.3 HUMAN IMPACT

ON

BIODIVERSITY (P . 756)

Global warming, acid deposition, photochemical smog, water pollution, ozone depletion, and tropical rain forest destruction are all involved in reducing biodiversity. Conservation biology is the scientific study of biodiversity and the management of ecosystems for the preservation of all species, including Homo sapiens.

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23. What is the ozone shield, and why is it important? ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 24. Explain the significance of the following: C1 + O 3 ClO + O 2 ________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. What are some of the possible effects of increased ultraviolet radiation on humans and other organisms? ____ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. Explain how forest destruction causes each of the following: loss of a CO 2 sink a. ________________________________________________________________________ loss of biodiversity b. _______________________________________________________________________ loss of medicinal plants c . ___________________________________________________________________ 27. What new area of biology is concerned with the preservation and management of ecosystems for sustainability? ____________________________________________________________________________

CHAPTER TEST
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
Do not refer to the text when taking this test. In questions 17, indicate whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). 1. Energy flows through a food chain because it is constantly lost from organic food as heat. 2. A food web contains many food chains. 3. An ecological pyramid is usually broadest at the bottom and narrowest at the top. 4. The weathering of rocks is one way that phosphate ions are made available to plants. 5. Respiration returns carbon to the atmosphere. 6. Nitrogen fixation is the return of nitrogen to the atmosphere. 7. Denitrifying bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into the bodies of organisms. 8. About _______ of the energy available at a particular trophic level is incorporated into the tissues at the next trophic level. a. 1% b. 10% c. 25% d. 50% e. 75% Questions 911 refer to the following food chain: grass rabbits snakes hawks. 9. Each population a. is always larger than the one before it. b. supports the next level. c. is an herbivore. d. is a carnivore. 10. Rabbits are a. consumers. b. herbivores. c. more plentiful than snakes. d. All of these are correct. 11. Hawks a. contain phosphate taken up by grass. b. give off O 2 that will be taken up by rabbits. c. die and decompose and because of this they cannot contribute to a grazing food chain. d. All of these are correct. 12. Which of the following contribute(s) to the carbon cycle? a. respiration b. photosynthesis c. fossil fuel combustion d. All of these are correct. 13. The largest reserve of unincorporated carbon is in a. the soil. b. the atmosphere. c. the ocean. d. deep sediments. 14. The greenhouse effect a. is caused by particles in the air. b. is caused in part by carbon dioxide. c. will cause temperatures to increase. d. will cause temperatures to decrease. e. Both b and c are correct. 15. The form of nitrogen most plants make use of is a. atmospheric nitrogen. b. nitrogen gas. c. organic nitrogen. d. nitrates.

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For questions 1618, match the air pollutants with the following conditions: a. ozone shield destruction b. global warming c. acid deposition d. photochemical smog 16. CFCs 17. SO 2 18. CO 2 19. UV radiation a. causes mutations. b. impairs crop growth. c. kills plankton. d. All of these are correct. 20. Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons react in the presence of sunlight to produce a. acid particles. b. ground level ozone. c. greenhouse gases. d. All of these are correct. 21. What may occur as a result of the greenhouse effect? a. coastal flooding b. loss of food c. excess plant growth d. Both a and b are correct.

22. What contributes to the greenhouse effect? a. nuclear power b. burning of fossil fuels c. geothermal energy d. Both a and c are correct. 23. Which is the cause of stratospheric ozone depletion? a. chlorine b. PANs c. nitrates d. Both b and c are correct. 24. Acid deposition is associated with a. dying lakes. b. dying forests. c. dissolving of copper from pipes. d. All of these are correct.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS
Answer in complete sentences. 25. Why is a food chain normally limited to four or five links?

26. How would the shortage of an element in the exchange pool affect an ecosystem? Explain.

Test Results: ______ Number right 26 = ______ 100 = ______ %

ANSWER KEY
STUDY EXERCISES
1. a. 3 b. 1 c. 6 d. 2 e. 4 f. 5 2. a. produces b. consumers c. decomposers d. inorganic nutrient pool 3. a. With every transformation, as when the energy in food is converted to ATP, there is always a loss of useable energy. Eventually all solar energy taken in by plants become heat. b. Plants take inorganic nutrients and produce organic nutrients; the inorganic nutrients are eventually returned to plants. 4. Example: nuts from tree birds hawks 5. Example: old leaves and dead twigs bacteria and fungi of decay mice hawks 6. Members of the grazing food web die and are decomposed by bacteria and fungi. 7. a. Tree is the producer b. Example: rabbits and deer c. Example: foxes and snakes 8. a. Less energy is available to be passed on. b. Eventually energy runs out. 9. a. a source that is usually unavailable to the biotic community b. a source that is usually available to the biotic community c. producers, consumers, and decomposers that interact through nutrient cycling and energy flow d. Humans remove elements from reservoirs and exchange pools and make them available to producers. For example, humans convert nitrogen

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in the air to make fertilizer, and they mine phosphate to make fertilizer. 10. See Figure 36.8, p. 749 in text 11. a, b, c 12. a. photosynthesis b. cellular respiration c. reservoirs d. oceans e. bicarbonate f. by burning fossil fuels that add carbon to the atmosphere 13. a. fossil fuel and wood burning b. fertilizer use and animal wastes c. biogas (guts of animals, in sediments and in flooded rice paddies d. These gases are called greenhouse gases because, like the panes of a greenhouse, they allow solar radiation to pass through but hinder the escape of heat. 14. a, b, d, e 15. a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 16. nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules and nitrate in soil 17. a. N 2 b. NO 3 c. sulfur dioxide 18. a, b, c, d 19. a. Nox b. HC c. PAN d. ozone 20. a, b, c 21. a, b, c 22. a. F, . . . may cause algal bloom b. F, . . . have a limited supply of phosphate c. T d. F, . . . taken up by plants 23. Ozone is a layer within the stratosphere that protects the earths surface from ultraviolet radiation. Organisms evolved in the presence of this ozone layer. 24. The chlorine breaks

down the ozone and the UV radiation is not absorbed. 25. It will increase the incidence of skin cancer and decrease the productivity of living systems. Loss of oceanic plankton will disrupt marine ecosystems. 26. see Figure 36.17, p. 757 in text 27. conservation biology.

CHAPTER TEST
1. T 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. T 6. F 7. F 8. b 9. b 10. d 11. a 12. d 13. c 14. e 15. d 16. a 17. c 18. b 19. d 20. b 21. d 22. b 23. a 24. d 25. By the laws of thermodynamics, energy conversion at each link of a food chain results in nonusable heat. Too little useful energy remains for more links. 22. A shortage of an element such as nitrogen or phosphorus would reduce the biomass of the producer population. Therefore, the biomass of each succeeding population in the ecosystem would most likely be smaller than it otherwise would be.

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