Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Ecology 2
Cycles of Nature, Ecological Succession and Human Impact on the Biosphere
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| succession | the gradual process by which one community replaces another in an ecosystem until a stable climax community is established |
| pioneer species | - the first organism to inhabit an area - they MODIFY or CHANGE the environment and make it favorable for other living things to grow & live in the area |
| lichen | - A symbiotic relationship between and algae and fungus. - the pioneer species for primary succession - release acids to break bare rock into soil |
| weeds | - the pioneer species for secondary succession |
| primary succession | takes place on a newly exposed surface (bare rock), where no living things have ever grown before. **NO SOIL is present. ** LICHEN is the pioneer species that begins to modify the environment by producing soil |
| climax community | -the final stable stage of ecological succession - the type of community established depends on the CLIMATE (temperature and moisture) in the area - this community will persist until an environmental change occurs |
| secondary succession | occurs when an EXISTING community is destroyed (by fire, flood, drought, farming, lumbering) and then regrows through a species of changes. - SOIL IS PRESENT - Pioneer species are weedy plants |
| Pond succession | the gradual process by which a pond community becomes a terrestrial ecosystem. -occurs as sediment, leaves and twigs gradually accumulate at the bottom of a pond |
| Humans | species that has the greatest negative impact on the world's ecosystems |
| Increasing human population | Currently 8 billion people on Earth! This large population size places a strain on Earth's natural resources. Increased pollution, habitat loss and overhunting has caused the extinction or endangerment of many other species on Earth |
| Three ways to preserve natural resources | REDUCE - minimize the amount of resources used and the amount of wastes produced REUSE - use an item as much as you can before replacing it RECYCLE - materials such as glass, cardboard, paper, aluminum, plastics can all be used for a new purpose |
| nonrenewable resources | a resource that once used cannot be replaced Ex: fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gass) |
| Fossil fuels | formed within the Earth from dead plants and animals over millions of years Pressure and heat worked together to transform the plant and animal remains into crude oil (also known as petroleum), coal, and natural gas. |
| renewable resources | resources that can be replenished over time Ex: sun, wind, trees |
| conservation | the careful maintenance and upkeep of a natural resource to prevent it from disappearing. - revention of wasteful use of a resource. |
| the importance of ecology | Understanding how living things interact with each other and their environment is an important first step in preserving the biosphere |
| invasive species | the introduction of a species that does NOT naturally occur in a given region **these species are often successful because they lack natural predators and can out-compete native species for resources |
| For life to continue to exist, (a)____________________ must be recycled and a constant input of (b) _________________ is required. | a. MATTER (such as nitrogen, carbon, oxygen & hydrogen) b. ENERGY (typically from the sun) |
| water cycle | the movement of water among the oceans, atmosphere, land and living things |
| What processes bring water into the atmosphere? | 1. Evaporation: liquid water absorbs heat energy and is changed into a gas (water vapor) 2. Transpiration: the evaporation of water form the surface of leaves |
| What process in the water cycle enables clouds to form? | Condensation - water vapor in the upper atmosphere cools (loses heat) and becomes liquid (TINY droplets) suspended in the air |
| What process brings water back to Earth's surface? | Precipitation: water in solid or liquid form (depending on temp.) that fall from the atmosphere to the Earth |
| carbon cycle | the movement of carbon through the environment and living things |
| What three ways is carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere? | 1. Combustion (burning) of fossil fuels 2. Decomposition (bacteria break down matter into CO2 and water) 3. Respiration (living things break down sugar to release ATP, water vapor and CO2). **AEROBIC respiration requires atmospheric oxygen |
| What ONE way is carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere? | Photosynthesis: green plants, algae and some bacteria synthesize sugar (glucose) using the energy of the sun, water and CO2. ***OXYGEN IS ALSO PRODUCED & enters the atmosphere |
| What process releases O2 into the air? What process removes O2 from the air? | Photosynthesis - releases O2 Aerobic cellular respiration - takes O2 out of the air |
| nitrogen cycle | the movement of nitrogen through the environment and living organisms |
| nitrogen fixation | the process of changing unusable atmopheric nitrogen (N2) into forms that plants can use (such as nitrates). carried out by lightning and special soil bacteria called nitrogen fixing bacteria |
| Why is nitrogen important to living things? | Nitrogen is an element found in proteins and DNA --> Protein form many body structures (hair, nails, horns, feathers, skin, muscle) --> DNA is the genetic material (the instructions for life!) |
| denitrification | the process by which special soil bacteria convert nitrates in the soil into atmospheric nitrogen (nitrogen in the air) |
| decomposition | Bacteria of decay break down (recycle) matter within dead organisms allowing it to be reused |
| What organisms play a major role in the nitrogen cycle? | BACTERIA! |
Created by:
Ms. Vitale
Popular Ecology sets