Biology *I only included the information that was on the review sheet that we needed to know.

If on the exam that there is a question that the review didnt have, just use common sense or the best sounding answer. It shouldnt be too hard to answer questions logically. Sustainability Ecosystem: refers to all parts of the biological community and its environment which interact together. Eco means home. An ecosystem is the natural home of the organisms that live in it. They can vary in sizes and features. Sustainable Ecosystem: An ecosystem that can support and endure the organisms that live in it. It is a necessity to have a sustainable ecosystem for survival. Some organisms depend on more than one ecosystem. (Ex. Frogs need to switch between water and land to live) Every ecosystem has biotic (living) parts and abiotic (non-living) parts.

Characteristics of an Ecosystem Biotic The 3 types of interactions: 1. Mutualism Between two organisms that live together in association and help each other benefit.. 2. Predation An organism (predator) eating another (prey). This creates food chains. 3. Competition Two organisms compete for the same resource. It can influence the population and success of organisms. Abiotic 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Water Oxygen Light Nutrients Soil Nutrient Cycles Living organisms use matter to carry out various life processes such as respiration, movement, reproduction, etc. Different ecosystem processes move matter from the abiotic parts to the biotic parts in an ecosystem and back to the abiotic part again in continuous cycles.

The Four Spheres All matter on earth occupies one of Earths atmospheres. 1. Lithosphere (Litho means stone in Greek): The Earths crust, the hard part of the earths surface. 2. Hydrosphere: Salt water in oceans and fresh water in lakes and rivers 3. Atmosphere (atmos means vapour in Greek): Layer of air above the earths surface 4. Biosphere: The living surface of the earth. It refers to all regions where living organisms exist.

The lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere can be found on other planets as well but earth is the only planet that contains the biosphere. The biosphere is not separate from the other three spheres because organisms live in the other spheres. (Worms live in the soil and fish live in the water for example)

The Water Cycle 1. The suns rays evaporate water from oceans and lakes. Water is also released into the atmosphere through transpiration by plants and through cellular respiration. 2. The water vapour rises in the atmosphere and cools and condenses, forming clouds. 3. The clouds release the water back to the surface as rain or snow. (precipitation) 4. The water that falls on land eventually returns to the rivers and lakes and some of it is absorbed or consumed by plants as it moves through the ground. The Carbon Cycle 1. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis and convert it into carbon containing glucose. 2. When the plant gets eaten by an animal, the glucose enters its body. This is the only way carbon atoms can get into the animals blood. 3. Cellular respiration then breaks the glucose down, producing energy for the animal to use and releasing carbon dioxide as a waste product. Carbon dioxide is also released when fossil fuels and wood are burnt and when organisms die, their bodies are broken down by fungi and that releases carbon dioxide as well. The Nitrogen Cycle 1. Because the nitrogen in the atmosphere cannot be directly used by most organisms, they must convert it to a more useful form. Most conversions are done by different types of bacteria. Soil bacteria in land based ecosystems and the cyanobacteria in aquatic ecosystems convert it to ammonium ions and to nitrate ions. 2. The converted nitrogen gets absorbed by plants through their roots.

3. The nitrogen containing compounds are passed from one organism to another along the food chain. 4. The bacteria that reverse the process break down the nitrogen containing compounds and release nitrogen back into the atmosphere. Nitrogen can also be released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burn and when volcanoes erupt. The Phosphorous Cycle Phosphorous is stored in the lithosphere in rocks. When the rocks break down in the process of weathering, the phosphorous released into the soil in the form of phosphate ions. The plants then absorb the phosphorous through their roots. The organisms that eat the plants absorb the phosphorous into their bodies. When the living organisms die, bacteria break down their bodies and release phosphorous back into the soil.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Eutrophication: When there are high levels of biomass from the result of the addition of more natural substances. For example, if more phosphorous enters the water from the farmers fertilizer, there will be an increase in algae. The algae will bloom throughout the water, blocking out sunlight and oxygen from coming through and that can lead to the death of the ecosystem that exists in the water. Biosphere and Energy All activities need a source of energy The energy from all fuels comes from the same source The Sun That energy is given in forms of light, heat and other forms of electromagnetic radiation A small amount of that energy reaches the earths surface and is used by plants to make glucose The energy supplied by the sun is important because it will continue to warm up the earth for billions of years and without the sun, the plants cannot produce glucose. Glucose is passed throughout the food chain from one organism to another (Eg. The rabbit gets glucose when it eats the plant and the fox gets the glucose when it eats the rabbit)

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Word equation of photosynthesis: Water + Carbon dioxide Glucose + Oxygen Word equation of cellular respiration: Oxygen + Glucose Carbon dioxide + Water Both processes are considered as complementary reactions because the products they produce are the starting products of each other. Trophic levels First level = producer (plants) Second level = primary consumers (herbivores) Third level = secondary consumers (carnivores) Fourth level = tertiary consumers (top carnivores)

All trophic levels are linked to decomposers (bacteria and fungi) that break down dead organisms and their wastes. Trophic Efficiency It shows how much energy in one trophic level is transferred to the next level. Less than 100% of the energy in transferred, since organisms use most of it for themselves. Generally, only 10% is transferred from one level to the next.

Pyramid of Energy

Pyramids rarely have up to 4 levels because after the fourth level, there isnt enough energy to support the higher levels. 10% of the energy in each level is transferred to the next level each time. Population and Communities Population A population is a group of the same species, living in the same place, at the same time. Exponential growth is a rapid increase in population of a species. It occurs when either they are introduced to a new ecosystem or when the number of predators decrease. The carrying capacity is the maximum number of species that an ecosystem can hold.

Community When groups of populations of organisms that live together in the same ecosystem.

There are three types of species in a community: 1. Dominant species have the biggest biomass and are usually producers. Without them, biodiversity decreases. 2. Keystone species - Stabilizes the ecosystem and controls population and ecosystem health. Without them, biodiversity suffers. 3. Ecosystem Engineers Makes changes to a landscape that more ecosystems can be made. They allow successions to happen and adaptations are made. For example, beavers. Other Word Definitions Ecological niche: An organisms position in the ecosystem Ecological footprint: The amount of resources used by an organisms standard of living. Biodiversity: The number and variety of organisms found in a specific region. Biodiversity hotspot: A place where there is an exceptionally large number of species in a small area.