Unit 2 Exam

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

a process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat

the lowest region of the atmosphere, extending from the earth’s surface to a height of about 3.7–6.2 miles (6–10 km), which is the lower boundary of the stratosphere.

the layer of the earth’s atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth’s surface (the lower boundary of the mesosphere).

all the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds.

Organisms classified as producers or consumers based on source of nutrients The eating level of an organism

ONE WAY FLOW of high quality energy from the sun Supports plant growth and warms troposphere CYCLING of nutrients (matter) through parts of the biosphere GRAVITY holds the earth’s atmosphere and enables movement and cycling of chemicals (compounds and elements) through air, water, soil, and organisms .

Autotrophs Make needed nutrients from their environment During photosynthesis, plants generate energy and emit oxygen . know the photosynthesis equation!! The first trophic level

Cannot produce the nutrients they need Primary consumers (herbivores) eat plants Secondary and tertiary (or higher) consumers: Carnivores feed on the flesh of other animals Omnivores eat both plants and animals

herbivores

carnivores feed on the flesh of other animals , omnivores eat both

Consumers that release nutrients from wastes or remains of plants or animals Nutrients return to soil, water, and air for reuse Bacteria, fungi Detritivores and decomposers Detritivores - Feed on the carasses of dead animals

glucose + oxygen → CO2 + H2O + energy

Movement of energy and nutrients from one trophic level to the next heat is lost along the way

Network interconnected food chains

90% of usable energy is lost with each transfer Less chemical energy for higher trophic levels

total mass of organisms in a given trophic level

Rate at which an ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy to stored chemical energy Measured in units such as kcal/m^2/year

Rate at which an ecosystems’s producers convert solar energy to chemical energy, minus the rate at which they use the stored energy for aerobic respiration Terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic life zones differ in their NPP The planet’s NPP ultimately limits the number of consumers (including humans) that can survive on earth

is the percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem. 10% rule Most lost as waste heat Some energy contained in detritus and metabolic waste provides energy for decomposers and detritivores

The major 4 steps are evaporation of water, then condensation, precipitation and collection. The sun evaporates water sources and contributes to the formation of water vapor. These water vapour accumulate in the atmosphere as clouds.

Infiltration is defined as the downward entry of water into the soil or rock surface percolation is the flow of water through soil and porous or fractured rock. similar