Ecology Chapter 1

-all the interacting parts of a biological community and its environment

-an ecosystem that is capable of withstanding pressure and giving support to a variety of organisms

-the living parts of an ecosystem (e.g plants, animals, etc.)

• -the non-living parts of an ecosystem
• (e.g water, rocks, air, etc.)

-the hard part of earth's surface

-all the water found on Earth, including lakes, oceans, and ground

the layer of gases above the Earth's surface

-the regions of Earth where living organisms exist

Chemicals that are essential to living things and is cycled through ecosystems

• -a process in which nutrient levels in aquatic ecosystems increase, leading to an increase in the populations of primary producers
• 1. Fertilizer run off from farmland into water 
• 2. Algae Bloom 
• 3. Submerged plants dies due to reduced light 
• 4. Algae and other plants die 
• 5. Bacteria use oxygen during decomposition 
• 6. Oxygen levels in water drop too low for fish to survive

• -a process that changes solar energy into chemical energy
• -combines oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen to makes life's universal energy supply

• - Word equation for photosynthesis:
• - carbon dioxide + water >>> glucose + oxygen (sunlight energy)

• - Chemical Equation:
• 6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2
•             Sunlight energy

-a category of organisms that is defined by how the organisms gain their energy

• First trophic level: Primary producers (plants)
• Second trophic level: Primary consumers (herbivores)
• Third trophic level: Secondary consumers (carnivores)
• Fourth trophic level: Tertiary consumers (top carnivores)

energy from the sun > plants > insects > birds > bigger birds

• plants = primary producers
• insects = primary consumers
• birds = secondary consumers
• bigger birds = tertiary consumers

-the total mass of living organisms in a defined group or area

• -a measure of the amount of energy or biomass transferred from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level
• -always less than 100 %
• -only 10 % transferred to next higher level

• -a process in which an organism ingests materials, especially toxins, faster than it eliminates them
• -when caused by pollution, (man-made) effects are devastating in most cases
• -can work to the advantage of species that are not affected by toxins, because they are more likely to survive, allowing them to reproduce

a process in which the concentration of ingested toxins increases as it moves from one trophic level to the next

• -a process that releases energy from organic molecules, especially carbohydrates, in the presence of oxygen
• -essential to life
• -used by most living organisms, such as humans and plants

-a process that releases energy from organic molecules,especially carbohydrates, in the absence of oxygen

• -atmospheric gases that prevents heat from leaving the atmosphere, thus increasing the temperature of the atmosphere
• -Greenhouse gases include: water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane

-the warming of earth as a result of greenhouse gases, which trap some of the energy that would otherwise leave earth

• -rain, snow, or fog that is unnaturally acidic (pH less than 5.6) due to gases in the atmosphere that react with water to form acids
• -occurs when water combines with nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide and creates nitric acid and sulfuric acid