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Science 1206: Chapter 1 Study Guide

Terms:

Abiotic: factor in an ecosystem created by non-living agents. Ex.


Amount of sunlight, temperature, the strength and direction of wind.

Albedo: a measurement of the percentage of light that an object


reflects; the higher the albedo, the greater the object’s ability to reflect
sunlight. Lighter objects (snow) have a higher albedo, whereas darker
objects (pavement) have a lower albedo.

Artificial ecosystem: an ecosystem that is planned and maintained


by humans. Ex. A park, a farm or a garden.

Autotroph: an organism that uses energy and raw materials to


makes its own food, whether from photosynthesis or some other form
of chemical synthesis; a producer.

Biodiversity: the number of species in an ecosystem, and the variety


within those species.

Biomass: a pyramid-shaped measure of the mass of the dry matter


contained in a group of living things, whether of a species a class of
species or of all the organisms within an ecosystem.

Biotic: a factor in an ecosystem created by the presence and roles of


other living things.

Carnivore: an animal that feeds on other animals.

Community: the collection of all the populations of all the species in


an ecosystem; all of the organisms of an ecosystem.

Consumer: a heterotroph; an organism that must eat producers or


other consumers to survive.

Decomposer: an organism that feeds on detritus, in the process


releasing nutrients into the soil and water, where they can be used by
other organisms.

Ecological niche: the place or role of a species within and ecosystem;


everything an organism does to survive and reproduce, including its
place in the food web, its habitat, its breeding area, and the time of
day that it is most active.
Ecology: the study of the interaction of living things with each other
and with the abiotic factors in their environment.

Ecosystem: in an area defined by an ecologist, the set of relationships


between populations of species and between those populations and
the abiotic factors in their environment.

Ecotone: a transition area between that includes members of the


community of both ecosystems. (ex: where a pond and grassland
meet)

Food chain: a step-by-step sequence linking organisms that feed on


each other, starting with a food source, such as a producer of detritus,
and continuing with a sequence of consumers.

Food web: when the many food chains of an ecosystem interlock to


form a feeding relationship called a food web.

Habitat: a place where a species can live; the conditions required for
the survival a species.

Heterotoph: an organism that is incapable of making its own food,


and so must feed on other organisms to gain energy.

Natural ecosystem: an ecosystem that is neither planned nor


maintained by humans; an ecosystem which organisms are free to
interact and change their interactions without human interference.

Omnivore: an animal that eats both plants and animals.

Pest: an organism that people consider harmful or inconvenient in a


particular situation, such as weeds and some insects, fungi, and
rodents.

Photosynthesis: the process by which green plants and some other


organisms use sunlight energy, carbon dioxide, and water to produce
carbohydrates (glucose/sugar) and oxygen.

Population: all of the members of a species living in the same


ecosystem or habitat.

Primary consumer: in a food chain or a food web, an organism that


relies on autotrophs directly for its source of energy; organisms on the
second trophic level.
Producer: an autotroph; an organism that uses photosynthesis or
another form of chemical synthesis to make food.

Secondary consumer: in a food chain or a food web, an organism


that relies on primary consumers for its principal source of energy;
organisms on the third trophic level.

Thermodynamics (first and second laws): the scientific study of


energy transformations, described by laws. The first law states that
although energy can be transformed from one form to another, it
cannot be created or destroyed. The second law states that during any
energy transformation, some of the energy is converted into a form,
mostly heat, which cannot be used. Each time energy is transformed
some energy is lost in that system.

Trophic level: a way of categorizing living things according to how


they gain their energy; the first trophic level contains autotrophs, and
each higher level contains heterotrophs.

Paradigm: a specific way of thinking about something.

Paradigm shift: a shift in the way of thinking about something. (In


particular, paradigm shifts are rare and significant changes in the way
humans view the world.)

Also know...

Section 1.1:

The Silence of the Frogs...

· 30% of North America’s toads and frogs are in trouble

· They adapt to changes in their ecosystem easily

· Can be found in most ecosystems where there is water

Why Are Scientists Concerned?

· The health of amphibians indicates the health of the ecosystems


they live in

· Frogs live in ponds as eggs and tadpoles (first ecosystem) and


forest/grassland areas as adults (second ecosystem). This means they
are exposed to hazards in both ecosystems, a decline in health of
either of those two ecosystems will have an impact of frogs.
Why are Frogs disappearing?

1. Loss of Habitat (Example: Building a highway between a pond and


a forest claims the lives of frogs as they move from their breeding to
feeding areas.)

2. Air and Water Pollution (Example: Frogs have thin skin which they
breathe through. Pollutants such as acid rain can pass through their
thin skin. Also, acidic ran decreases mobility of a frog’s sperm cells
which makes it less likely the eggs will be fertilized.)

3. Ultraviolet Radiation (Example: UV rays can easily penetrate frog’s


thin skin, causing cell damage. Many highland species have adapted to
this in the past, but they cannot keep pace with the changes in the
ozone layer.)

4. Climate Change (Example: Climate changes, such as global


warming, could cause a frog’s ecosystem to become drier. No frog can
stay in the sun for too long or completely separate itself from fresh
water.)

Section 1.8:

Comparing Ecosystems (Case Study)

Park vs. Meadow

The wind velocity at ground level in the park will be higher than in the
meadow because the grass in the park is mowed, whereas the grass in
the meadow is not. This affects the wind velocity because the
higher grass in the meadow blocks the wind therefore reducing its
speed.

The temperature tends to be higher in the park because there is less


vegetation than in the meadow. The moisture from the vegetation
absorbs the heat and also blocks direct sunlight, whereas the concrete
paths in the park absorb the heat, but then quickly release it, causing
the temperature to be higher.

Section 1.10:

**Figure 1
Of all the incoming solar radiation from the sun…

-30% is reflected by clouds or the earth’s surface

-44% heats the atmosphere and earth’s surface

-1% generates wind

-0.023% goes towards the process of photosynthesis

-25% heats and evaporates water

Section 1.11:

Limits of Energy Transfer

· It is true of all food chains that the farther up the chain you
travel, there is less energy available. In every ecosystem, there
is less energy available to secondary consumers then there is to
primary consumers.

Limits of Energy Transfers and the Number of Trophic Levels

· Only about 10% of the energy of a plant (first level/producer)


that was transferred to the deer (second level/primary
consumer) becomes available to the wolf (third level/ secondary
consumer.)

· In general, the overall loss of energy at each step sets a limit


on the number of trophic levels in a food chain at about five. In
most ecosystems, there wouldn’t be support a higher-level
consumer.

Pyramid of Energy

· Must have the shape of a normal pyramid (biggest to smallest)

· Larger mass of a tertiary consumer (fourth level) limits the number


of individuals that can be supported at the top position of the pyramid.

· Example: grass->grasshoppers/snails/slugs->shrews/moles->owls

Pyramid of Numbers

· Can be drawn by counting the number of organisms at each


tropic level
· Can take on different shape because the number of
organisms represents the volume of each level.

· Example: 50 oak trees->100 000 aphids->105 preying


ladybugs->3 robins

Pyramid of Biomass

· Must have shape of normal pyramid

· The dry mass of the dry tissue in the plants or animals is measured
and graphed

· Example: 976g moss, algae->45g duck->9g falcon

Cultural Change: The Human Use of energy in Ecosystems

· The planet is an estimated 4.6 billion years old

· Modern human have been part of worldwide ecosystems for


somewhere between 60 000 and 90 000 years.

· There have been two major shifts: The agricultural and


industrial revolutions.

Agriculture

· Between 10 000 and 12 000 years ago, a cultural shift


known as the agricultural revolution began.

· The planting of crops and domestication of animals


allowed people to remain in one place.

· Trees were cut and the lumber was used to make


permanent housing.

· Wetlands were drained and forests were cut so the land


could be cultivated.

Industry
· With the invention of technological devices to perform work,
the demand on the energy of ecosystems grew (it was used to
power machines.)

* study questions on page 39

Section 1.12

Roles in Ecosystems

3 exotic species introduced to Newfoundland are…

- Moose

- Shrews

- American oyster

Effects of the Zebra Mussel to the Great Lakes

Positive…

-filtered the water by eating algae and removing pollutants

-provided food for other aquatic animals

-discarded shells provide shelter to snails, underwater insects and


small crustaceans

Negative…

-clearer water lets more sunlight penetrate the surface, raising the
temperature and decreasing the level of oxygen in the water

-they contain toxic chemicals within their body, therefore when eaten
by predators, the toxins are released and may harm them

-commercial fishing has suffered from the invading mussels,


generating $600 million before to now only a small $200 million.

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