AP Earth and Environmental Science, Ecosystems and biochemical cycles test

Terms in this set (73)

Organization in nature...

Subatomic particles-> atoms-> compounds-> protoplasm-> cells-> tissues-> organs-> organ systems

Any living thing

All members of a certain species living in an area

All populations in an area

Community and environment (physical surroundings)

Where an organisms home/life is

Geographical area in which a species lives

The layer of the atmosphere that is above the troposphere and helps the troposphere

where everything lives
Goes up to 50,000 feet

the thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle

Layer of the earth directly below the crust that is made up of a mixture of elements which makes it soft and plastic.

The name for the crust and the upper mantle

The sun helps with...

Heat and light
Photosynthesis
Matter Cycling
Weather and climate

% of the sun's energy reflected into space

% of the sun's energy used for photosynthesis

% of the sun's energy degraded into low quality heat

A little is good
Too much is bad (Greenhouse effect)

Abiotic factors

Anything not alive

Tolerance Limit

Level of a factor above which organisms die
ex: Cold temperatures cause frost and kill some plants

Organisms that produce their own food
Also called producers

Formula for Photosynthesis...

6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂

Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen

Feed on other organisms; do not produce their own food

Organism that eats plants
Are primary consumers
On the 2nd trophic level

Organism that eats meat
Are secondary Consumers
On the 3rd trophic level

Organism that eats other carnivores
Are tertiary consumers
On the 4th trophic level

Organisms that eat both meats and plants

The dry weight of all organic matter contained in certain organisms on a certain trophic level

Has the smallest particles, most porous, least workable, least permeable, most water nutrient holding capacity

Has the biggest particles, least porous, most workable, most permeable, least water nutrient holding cycle capacity

Medium sized particles

Is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay

The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas
(part of the water cycle)

The loss of water from a plant through its leaves
(part of the water cycle)

The process of changing from a gas to a liquid state
(part of the water cycle)

Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface
(part of the water cycle)

The downward flow of water through soil and rock
(part of the water cycle)

Surface movement of excess water
(part of the water cycle)

What 2 processes power the water cycle?

1) Solar energy (evaporation and transpiration)
2) Gravity (precipitation and percolation)

The water cycle replenishes...

Groundwater
Wetlands
Streams
Lakes
Oceans

Is the process of water shaping the landscape (water cycle)

The water cycle...

Transports and provides nutrients
Dilutes waste

Water is purified in the hydrologic (water) cycle by...

Evaporation
Chemical and biological processes as it percolates

Humans impact the water cycle by withdrawing too much (called overdraft). This leads to

Depletion
Saltwater intrusion

When we remove vegetation and replace it with asphalt, it...

Increases runoff=increased flooding and erosion

Reduces refilling (recharging of aquifiers/groundwater)

Leads to cultural Eutrophication

Cultural Eutrophication

Algae grows rapidly-> Algae dies-> Aerobic (with oxygen) Decomposition-> Low dissolved oxygen-> Fish die

Is a basic building block
0.038% is the concentration of it in the troposphere
Found in water and rocks

What 4 processes add carbon dioxide to the troposphere?

Aerobic Respiration
Volcanoes going off
Weathering of carbonate rocks
Burning of fossil fuels and plants

How is carbon dioxide removed from the troposphere?

Plants get rid of it via photosynthesis

Carbon trapped in fossil fuels can be released into the troposphere by...

Carbon dioxide gets into the ocean by...

Dissolving from the air
Aerobic Respiration of aquatic organisms

Carbon dioxide is released into the troposphere from the ocean by...

The ocean heat "undissolving" it into the air

Humans impact the carbon cycle by...

Vegetation removal which causes less CO2 absorption and the vegetation decay produces more CO2

Humans burning fossils fuels...too much CO2=global warming

Nitrogen fixation

N2 from air in the soil is converted to NH3 (ammonia) and upon reaction with water it turns to NH4+ (ammonium) by bacteria
This occurs in the legumes in bean plants

NH4+(ammonium)-> NO3- (nitrate) by bacteria in soil

Plants take NH4+ (ammonium), NO3- (nitrate), and NH3 (ammonia) through their roots and make proteins.

decomposer
Detritus------------> NH3(ammonia)-- >NH4+
bacteria
Bacteria, the formation of ammonia compounds in the soil by the action of bacteria on decaying matter

Bacteria convert NH3(ammonia) and NH4+ (ammonium) into NO3-(nitrate) and then N2+N20 which seep into the air, the

Process by which bacteria cause nitrogen gas to be released back into the environment

Human impact on the nitrogen cycle...

When we burn fuel it turns to smog/acid rain

Bacterial action on livestock waste and inorganic fertilizer causes...

Greenhouse gas (global warming)
Ozone depletion

When forests, wetlands, and grasslands are destroyed...

Nitrogen is released from the soil
Carbon dioxide and Phosphorous are also released

Excess of nitrates come from...

Agriculture: Fertilizer runoff and livestock waste
Municipal sewage (same for phosphorous)

Nitrogen can be removed from topsoil by...

Clearing land
Over harvesting
Over irrigating (leaching)

Nitrogen loving crops

Produce more food for us and are used a lot by humans but they take up a lot of nitrogen

The Phosphorous Cycle

Does not have gas as a phase of matter
Is slow
Phosphorous typically found in rocks
Is released through weathering
Animals get phosphorous from food
Plants get phosphorous from the soil
Is a limiting factor due to its low supply and insolubility (This is why we mine for P)
Guano is bird poop

Additional phosphorous comes from...

Agriculture: fertilizers+ livestock waste
Municipal Sewage (same for nitrate)

The Sulfur Cycle

Most sulfur is in sulfate salts and rocks
Comes from Volcanoes and anaerobic bacteria in swamps, wetlands, etc
Humans get Sulfur from industry

H2S(hydrogen sulfide) is an obnoxious foul gas and is poisonus

Colorless obnoxious gas
Comes from volcanoes
Humans get it from industry

Sulfate particles get into the atmosphere from...

Sea spray, dust storms, fires

Dimethyl sulfide
Produced by marine algae
Does condensation

S02 and Sulfate salts cause...

Acid rain
S02->S03->H2S04

Humans add sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere by...

Burning sulfur containing fossil fuels (coal + oil)
Refining petroleum
Smelting Metallic Ores MS->M+S02^
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