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APES- Unit #2 Study GuideThis (4 week) unit includes the study of the energy through a system (Primary productivity and the rule of 10), an introduction to biogeochemical cycling (including the rock cycle, dissolved oxygen, eutrophication, ocean acidification and ocean nutrient fertilization). Average Residence Time- time it takes for the total stock or supply of the material to be cycled through a system. (ART)Denitrification = conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas which is then released into the atmosphere. This is caused by bacteriaNitrogen Cycle = The environmental circulation of [[nitrogen, which passes through the food chain, the soil and the open air environment.Biosphere = The part of the earth (or planet) that is capable of supporting life. All of the ecosystems of the earth.Nitrification = The conversion of [[ nitrogen from inorganic to organic by [[nitrate bacteria, which effectively recycles the substance so that it can be used again by plants via [[root uptake. Nitrogen Fixation = ultimate source of all nitrogen in living organisms. In the sea, the main nitrogen fixers are cyanobacteria.Biota/Biotic = Pertains to a living thing (such as plant, animal, fungus, etc.) as well as its productsAbiotic = nonliving physical and chemical attribute of a systemDrainage Basin = An area drained by a river system. gather precipitation water and direct it to a particular stream Reservoir = A place or cavity for storage, for anatomical structures serving as a storage space for fluids. Phosphorus Cycle = movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphereOpen = A system that exchanges energy and materials with the outside environment.Closed System = a region that is isolated from its surroundings by a boundary that admits no transfer of matter or energy across it.Geologic Cycle = the series of events in which a rock of one type is converted to one or more other types and then back to the original type Oxygen Cycle = circulation of oxygen in various forms through nature. Free in the air and dissolved in water,Biogeochemical Cycling = Biogeochemical cycle pertains to the cycling of chemicals absorbed or ingested by organisms, and then passed along the food web and ultimately to the air, water, and soil Hydrologic Cycle (water) = The cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution of the earth's water Assimilation = The processes of photosynthesis and the absorption of raw materials by which plants derive their nutrition.Carbon-Silicate Cycle = The Carbon Silicate Cycle is when the Carbon Cycle interacts with the Silicate Cycle over millions years Limiting Nutrient = chemical necessary for plant growth but available in quantities smaller than needed Plate Tectonics/Tectonic cycle = the lithosphere of the earth is divided into a small number of plates which float on and travel independently over the mantle and much of the earth's seismic activity occurs at the boundaries of these plates Carbon Cycle = the circulation of carbon atoms in the biosphere as a result of photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide into complex organic compounds by plants, which are consumed by other organisms:Macro = those nutrients needed in amounts higher than other nutrients Micronutrients = A nutrient needed in small amountsSulfur Cycle = macronutrients required by plants and is obtained by them from the soil and from the atmosphereChemical Reactions = one or more substances (reactants) are chemically changed into one or more new substances (products). Carbon Sink = areas of vegetation, especially forests, and the phytoplankton-rich seas that absorb the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuelsRock Cycle= rocks transform from one rock type into another rock type over time, a type of natural recycling. Convergent = A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving toward each other. If the two plates are of equal density, they usually push up against each other, forming a mountain chain. If they are of unequal density, one plate usually sinks beneath the other in a subduction zone.Divergent = two plates are moving away from each other and new crust is forming from magma that rises to the Earth's surface between the two plates.Transform Plate Boundary = two plates slide past one another. The fracture zone that forms a transform plate boundary is known as a transform fault. Metamorphic Rock = Rock that was once one form of rock but has changed to another under the influence of heat, pressure Sedimentary Rock = Rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment, especially sediment transported by waterIgneous Rock = Rocks formed by the cooling and solidifying of molten materials Photosynthesis = process in which carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O) and light energy are utilized to synthesize an energy-rich carbohydrate like glucose (C6H12O6) and to produce oxygen (O2) as a by-product.Respiration = oxygen is conveyed to tissues and cells, and the oxidation products, carbon dioxide and water, are given off. Aerobic vs. Anaerobic = Living or occurring only in the presence of oxygen vs. requiring the absence of or not dependent on the presence of oxygen Ocean Acidification = ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceansEutrophication = increase in the rate of supply of organic matter in an ecosystemDead Zones = "excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water.Phytoplankton = Phytoplankton form the beginning of the food chain for aquatic animals and fix large amounts of carbon, which would otherwise be released as carbon dioxide. Ocean Fertilization = adding of nutrients to the surface water of the oceans which would trigger the growth of marine plantsSpectrophotometer = instrument used to determine the intensity of light of a wavelength transmitted by a solution Hypoxia (Oxygen Minimum zones)= A condition in which there is oxygen deficiency in a habitat or a body part. Primary Productivity = the rate at which biomass is produced by organisms which converts inorganic substrates into complex organic substances.Limiting Factor = A factor present in an environment that controls a process, particularly the growth, abundance or distribution of a population of organisms in an ecosystem. Industrial Fixation = Steady State-Equilibrium = A condition of a physical system or device that does not change over time, or in which any one change is continually balanced by another, such as the stable condition of a system in equilibrium.1: Be able to explain both positive and negative feedback loops. 2: Identify and discuss 3 ways in which plate tectonics has influences life on Earth. For each, provide one example, which illustrated how the life was influenced.3:: Identify and describe one distinguishing characteristic and the primary reservoir of the following cycles: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, rock, sulfur and water.4: Describe the role of decomposers in the cycling of nutrients through the ecosystem. Speculate on the consequences, to life, of the extinction of every species of decomposer on Earth. 5: Identify and discuss the consequences of two human activities that have resulted in major changes to the nitrogen cycle. For each activity identified and discussed, suggest one strategy for lessening the impact of human activity.6: Discuss the environmental problems in a small lake associated with insufficient phosphorus (limiting factor) within the ecosystem, and with excessive phosphorus within the ecosystem (eutrophication).7: Draw a single diagram that interconnects the nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus cycles.8: Discuss the implications of excessive Carbon Dioxide emissions on our ocean ecosystems. Make sure to include the chemical changes that occur. 9: Be able to diagram the basic rock cycle- make sure to be able to name and describe each step of the process.10: Be prepared to be able to draw an oceanic food web that includes phytoplankton as the primary producer.11: Be able to give the pros and cons of ocean nutrient fertilization and the affect on phytoplankton growth.12: Identify and describe a relatively undisturbed natural area that you have visited. For that area, write justifications for preserving the it that fall into each of the following categories: * Utilitarian: * Ecological: * Aesthetic: * Moral: 13: Design a controlled experiment, which could be performed to determine whether a certain air pollutant stunts the growth of a species of plant. 14: The volume of a local reservoir is 2 x 109 m3. The total inflow and outflow are equal to each other and measure 20 m3/sec. The concentration of pollutant X in the reservoir is 10 ug/l. What is the total amount of pollutant X in the reservoir, the rate pollutant X is entering the reservoir, an the average residence time (ART) of pollutant X in the reservoir. Show your work! 16: Other than the scenarios discussed in class, describe a “tragedy of the commons” that are you are aware of. Identify the commons and the events that have lead to the tragedy, as well as possible solutions to the tragedy. 17: Describe the relationship between water temperature and dissolved oxygen. How does salinity change the amount of dissolved oxygen that can be held by a water source? 18: Explain the difference between gross (GPP) and net (NPP) primary productivity. What causes the differences? How is it calculated? ................
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