Chapter 5:
Case Study: Sea Otters, Sea Urchins, and Kelp: Indirect Effects of Species on One Another
1: Define: Community EffectA community Effect is when people live under the same gorvernment and the government is effective to the people.
2: Explain WHY the Sea Otter is considered the Keystone Species in this ecosystem. (Hint:
Explain the food chain)
The sea otter is considered the keystone species in the ecosystem since they destroy kelp and could also destroy habitat for other organisms.
3: Why were Sea Otters endangered and how did their numbers rebound?
The Sea Otters were endangered since people would hunt them for their fur. Their numbers rebounded since small populations survived.
5.1- The Ecosystem: Sustaining Life on Earth
1: Define Ecosystem Structure
It is the Pattern of the interrelations of organisms in time and in spatial arrangements
2: What two main processes must occur to maintain an ecosystem?
Cycling of chemical nutrients and flow of energy
5.2- Ecological Communities and Food Chains
1: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain is when it shows the popularity eaten by the predators from bottom to the main when the food web is
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains
2: Define: Trophic Level
It is when several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.
3: Define:
Autotrophs- It is an organism that makes its own food.
Heterotrophs- It is the rest of the organism.
Carnivores- An animal that feeds on flesh.
Herbivores- An animal that feeds on plants.
Decomposers- An organism that decomposes organic material.
4: Explain the food web of Yellowstone Hot Springs. Explain each trophic level (include a
photo).
The first level is larger carnivores and red mites. The second level are predatory insects and Ephydid flies. The last level is cyanobacteria.
1: Define: Community EffectA community Effect is when people live under the same gorvernment and the government is effective to the people.
2: Explain WHY the Sea Otter is considered the Keystone Species in this ecosystem. (Hint:
Explain the food chain)
The sea otter is considered the keystone species in the ecosystem since they destroy kelp and could also destroy habitat for other organisms.
3: Why were Sea Otters endangered and how did their numbers rebound?
The Sea Otters were endangered since people would hunt them for their fur. Their numbers rebounded since small populations survived.
5.1- The Ecosystem: Sustaining Life on Earth
1: Define Ecosystem Structure
It is the Pattern of the interrelations of organisms in time and in spatial arrangements
2: What two main processes must occur to maintain an ecosystem?
Cycling of chemical nutrients and flow of energy
5.2- Ecological Communities and Food Chains
1: What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain is when it shows the popularity eaten by the predators from bottom to the main when the food web is
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains
2: Define: Trophic Level
It is when several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.
3: Define:
Autotrophs- It is an organism that makes its own food.
Heterotrophs- It is the rest of the organism.
Carnivores- An animal that feeds on flesh.
Herbivores- An animal that feeds on plants.
Decomposers- An organism that decomposes organic material.
4: Explain the food web of Yellowstone Hot Springs. Explain each trophic level (include a
photo).
The first level is larger carnivores and red mites. The second level are predatory insects and Ephydid flies. The last level is cyanobacteria.
5: Explain a pelagic ecosystem. Explain each trophic level (include photos).Pelagic ecosystems have more organisms. The first level is the photosynthetic bacteria. The second level is Zooplankton invertebrates that feed on algae form.The third level is Fish and other invertebrates feed on these herbivores. The fourth level are whales, sharks etc.
A Closer Look- Land and Marine Food Webs
1: Look at the terrestrial food web. Should we include people within this ecosystem’s food web?
That would place us within nature. OR should we place people outside of the ecosystem, thus
separate from nature? Us, Humans should be the 5th predator in a food web since we are the main predators of these animals.
5.3- Ecosystems as Systems
1: Why are ecosystems considered to be OPEN systems?
Energy and matter in ecosystems can move in and out of the system.
2: Define: WatershedIt is an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
5.4- Biological Production and Ecosystem Energy Flow
1: Define: Energy
It is the strength and vitality required for sustained physical.
2: Explain: Ecosystem Energy Flow- What two ways does energy enter an ecosystem?
The Laws of Thermodynamics and the Ultimate Limit on the Abundance of Life
Two ways to enter energy in an ecosystem if when fixed organism are moving through food webs. Also heat energy is being transferred by air.
1: The First Law of Thermodynamics is also known as what? Define it.
It is also known by The Law of Conservation of Energy. It is the branch of physical science that deals with the relations between heat and other forms of energy, and, by extension, of the relationships between all forms of energy.
2: What is the Second Law of Thermodynamics say?
No use of energy can ever be 100% efficient.
3: Define Entropy (give an example).
lack of order to gradual decline into disorder
4: What is an intermediate system?
An OSI system which performs network layer
5.5- Biological Production and Biomass
1: What is biomass?
The total mass of organisms in a given area.
Define the following:
*Biological Production- is the capture of usable energy from the environment to produce organic matter.
* Gross Production- is the increase in stored energy before any is used.
* Net Production- is the amount of newly acquired energy stored after some energy has been used.
3: What are the 3 measures that are used for biomass and biological production?
- Ecology of Species
- Ecology of Communities;
- Biodiversity
Primary Production is carried out by autotrophs
5: What is secondary production- who is involved?
Secondary Production is the production carried out by heterotrophs. Heterotrophs are involved.
6: Who are chemoautotrophs? Explain- where are they usually found?
Bacteria, which is found deep-ocean vents and muds of marshes.
5.6- Energy Efficiency and Transfer Efficiency
1: What is energy efficiency?
It is the ratio between the useful output of an energy conversion machine and the input, in energy terms.
2: How would energy efficiency look with a wolf and moose population? Explain.
Energy efficiency with a wolf and moose population would look highly energy efficient. It is also what the moose has ate that day.
3: What is food-chain or trophic level efficiency?
A food chain is a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.ratio of production of one trophic level to the next lower level.
4: Generally, how much energy is lost to heat when being transferred between trophic levels?
Less than one percent when transferred between trophic levels is lost.
5.7- Ecological Stability and Succession
1: What is ecological succession?
The gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established
2: Compare and contrast primary and secondary succession- give an example of each.
Primary succession is one of two types of biological and ecological succession of plant life, occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited. Secondary succession is one of the two types of ecological succession of plant life. As opposed to the first, secondary succession is a process started by an event that reduces an already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species
3: Explain how succession would look in a Dune.
Succession in a dune would look all sandy. Dune grass shoots appear scattered on the slope.
4: Explain how succession would look in a Bog.
Succession in a bog would be an open body of water with no surface inlets with small stems.
5: Explain how succession would look in an old-field.
Small plants adapt to the harsh conditions of the clearing. Larger plants will show up eventually which will create a dense forest.
6: Explain how succession would look in a coral reef.
Succession in a coral reef will look would look all colorful and full of life.
5.9- How Species Change Succession
1: Explain facilitation in succession and where is it most common?
Species change the local environment in ways that make is suitable for another species on later stages. Earlier-successional species do this.
2: Explain interference in succession and what it can lead to.
Situations where the earlier-successional species changes the environment so it's unsuitable for another species of later-successional stage.
3: What is chronic patchiness? When does this occur?
When no species interact through succession.Critical Thinking Issue: Should People Eat Lower on the Food Chain?
1:Why does the energy content decrease at each higher level of a food chain? What happens to
the energy lost at each level?
Energy decreases at a higher level, since the transfer of energy requires some of the energy to become heat. The energy lost becomes heat energy.
2: Why it is appropriate to use mass to represent energy content?
It shows how much is needed to fulfill an organisms energy needs
3.Using the average of 21 kilojoules of energy to equal 1g of completely dried vegetation and assuming that wheat is 80% water, what is the energy content of the 333,000 kg of wheat shown in the pyramid? (show your work).
333,000kg/21=15857g
15857g*.80=12686 Joules.
4: Make a list of environmental arguments for and against an entirely vegetarian diet for people.
What might be the consequences for the United States agriculture if everyone in the country
began to eat lower on the food chain?
Pros: More energy, healthier lifestyles
Cons: limited foods you could eat, The fat is has and less protein it has.
5: How low do you eat on the food chain? Would you be willing to eat lower? Explain.
I eat some things since i am picky, but i would eat lower if there wouldnt be enough animals to eat.
Study Questions:
1: Farming has been described as managing land to keep it in an early stage of succession. What
does this mean, and how is it achieved?
It means,farming is the original source of food. It's achieved by planting and watering.
