EEB 2244 LATEST EVALUATION EXAM ALL
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Gross primary production (GPP) - ✔✔total energy acquired via photo- or
chemosynthesis
✔✔Respiration (R) - ✔✔uses oxygen to release chemical energy to drive cellular
processes
✔✔Net primary productivity (NPP) - ✔✔energy converted to producer biomass
(what is left after respiration)
✔✔Assimilated energy - ✔✔energy that a consumer digests and absorbs
(consumed - egested (pooped) energy)
(gross secondary production (GSP))
✔✔Net secondary production (NSP) - ✔✔energy converted to consumer biomass
(assimilated energy left after respiration)
✔✔NPP - ✔✔GPP - R =___
✔✔NSP - ✔✔GSP - R =____
,✔✔Measuring primary production is important - ✔✔Net primary production is the
amount that can be "passed" up the food chain
Estimating primary production: 1. Change in producer biomass 2. CO2 exchange 3.
Remote-sensing
✔✔Consumption efficiency - ✔✔of the "food" available some is consumed, some is not
(consumed energy)/(net production energy of the next lower trophic level)
✔✔Assimilation efficiency - ✔✔of the food that is consumed some is assimilated, the
rest is egested (pooped out)
(assimilated energy)/(consumed energy) Primary consumers have lower assimilation
efficiencies than secondary consumers
Plant matter less digestible than animal matter
✔✔Net production efficiency - ✔✔of food assimilated, some is used for growth &
reproduction, the rest is lost through respiration
(net production energy)/(assimilated energy)
Lower for homeothermic and mobile animals than poikilothermic and sedentary ones.
✔✔Ecological efficiency - ✔✔net production from one trophic level compared to the next
lower trophic level
(net production energy of a trophic level)/(net production energy of the next lower
trophic level)
✔✔decomposition - ✔✔Detritivores & decomposers break-down wastes and dead
organisms.
Important for nutrient cycling
As in other levels energy mostly released as heat during respiration
Only small amount of energy recycled back through decomposers
✔✔Nitrogen - ✔✔(element composition of organisms)
bacteria- 10
plant (corn)- 1.46
animal (human)- 9.33
✔✔Phosphorus - ✔✔(element composition of organisms)
bacteria- (2.0-3.0)
plant (corn)- 0.20
animal (human)- 3.11
✔✔Nutrients - ✔✔elements required by organisms for metabolism and growth
✔✔Biogeochemistry - ✔✔physical, chemical, biological factors that influence the
movements and transformation of elements
,✔✔Assimilation - ✔✔requires energy:
inorganic -> organic
✔✔Dissimilation - ✔✔releases energy:
organic -> inorganic
✔✔Minerals in rocks - ✔✔abiotic source of nutrients:
-potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus
-weathering
✔✔Gases in atmosphere - ✔✔abiotic source of nutrients:
-78% N, 21% O, 0.9% argon, 0.039% CO2
-atmospheric deposition
-chemical fixation
✔✔Mechanical weathering - ✔✔physical alteration of rocks
(freezing, wetting/rewetting, "broken apart)
-lichens
✔✔Chemical weathering - ✔✔minerals subjected to chemical processes
(oxidation)
-lichens
✔✔Atmospheric deposition - ✔✔precipitation, particles, aerosols, and gases move from
the atmosphere to the earth's surface
✔✔Hydrologic cycle - ✔✔movement of water through ecosystems and atmosphere
driven by evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation
✔✔Detritivores - ✔✔physically break organic matter into smaller pieces
✔✔Decomposers - ✔✔organisms which break dead organic matter into inorganic
elements
✔✔Mineralization - ✔✔breaking dead organic matter into inorganic elements
✔✔Nitrogen fixation - ✔✔converts atmospheric nitrogen into forms producers can use
N2 -> NH3 -> NH4 or NO3
-requires energy
✔✔Biotic fixation - ✔✔free-living and mutualistic bacteria
(rhizobia, frankia)
, ✔✔Abiotic fixation - ✔✔lightning, wildfires, fossil fuel, combustion, fertilizer production
(energy from fossil fuels)
✔✔Nitrification - ✔✔conversion of ammonium to nitrate by bacteria
(nitrates more easily used by plants)
✔✔Assimilation of nitrogen - ✔✔incorporation of NH4 or NO3 into organism tissues
✔✔Ammonification - ✔✔nitrogen on organic matter (feces) converted to ammonia or
ammonium
-fungal and bacterial decomposers
-can then be converted back into nitrates (nitrification)
✔✔Denitrification - ✔✔nitrates converted into nitrogen gas by bacteria under anaerobic
conditions
-NO3 to NO
-NO to N2
(returns nitrogen to atmosphere)
✔✔Nitrogen cycle - ✔✔1. nitrogen fixation
2. intermediate processes
3. denitrification
✔✔Phosphorus cycle - ✔✔terrestrial & aquatic system
-needed for bones, scales, teeth, DNA, RNA, ATP, phospholipids in the cell membrane
✔✔Terrestrial system - ✔✔-PO4 sources: uplifted rock is
weathered/mined, particles
travel in run-off
-plants assimilate PO4 (pass to consumers)
-excretion and decomposition return PO4 to soil
-Leaching/run-off carries "excess" to aquatic system
✔✔Aquatic system - ✔✔-PO4 assimilated by producers (& consumed)
(excreted/decomposed)
-PO4 precipitates and forms sediment
-some sedimentary rock is later uplifted, moving PO$ back to terrestrial system
✔✔Oligotrophic - ✔✔-low nutrient levels (N & P)
-low NPP
-healthy, diverse fish & invertebrate communities
✔✔Eutrophic - ✔✔-nutrient rich (N & P)
-high phytoplankton, algae abundance and turnover
-oxygen depleted -> anaerobic organisms
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Gross primary production (GPP) - ✔✔total energy acquired via photo- or
chemosynthesis
✔✔Respiration (R) - ✔✔uses oxygen to release chemical energy to drive cellular
processes
✔✔Net primary productivity (NPP) - ✔✔energy converted to producer biomass
(what is left after respiration)
✔✔Assimilated energy - ✔✔energy that a consumer digests and absorbs
(consumed - egested (pooped) energy)
(gross secondary production (GSP))
✔✔Net secondary production (NSP) - ✔✔energy converted to consumer biomass
(assimilated energy left after respiration)
✔✔NPP - ✔✔GPP - R =___
✔✔NSP - ✔✔GSP - R =____
,✔✔Measuring primary production is important - ✔✔Net primary production is the
amount that can be "passed" up the food chain
Estimating primary production: 1. Change in producer biomass 2. CO2 exchange 3.
Remote-sensing
✔✔Consumption efficiency - ✔✔of the "food" available some is consumed, some is not
(consumed energy)/(net production energy of the next lower trophic level)
✔✔Assimilation efficiency - ✔✔of the food that is consumed some is assimilated, the
rest is egested (pooped out)
(assimilated energy)/(consumed energy) Primary consumers have lower assimilation
efficiencies than secondary consumers
Plant matter less digestible than animal matter
✔✔Net production efficiency - ✔✔of food assimilated, some is used for growth &
reproduction, the rest is lost through respiration
(net production energy)/(assimilated energy)
Lower for homeothermic and mobile animals than poikilothermic and sedentary ones.
✔✔Ecological efficiency - ✔✔net production from one trophic level compared to the next
lower trophic level
(net production energy of a trophic level)/(net production energy of the next lower
trophic level)
✔✔decomposition - ✔✔Detritivores & decomposers break-down wastes and dead
organisms.
Important for nutrient cycling
As in other levels energy mostly released as heat during respiration
Only small amount of energy recycled back through decomposers
✔✔Nitrogen - ✔✔(element composition of organisms)
bacteria- 10
plant (corn)- 1.46
animal (human)- 9.33
✔✔Phosphorus - ✔✔(element composition of organisms)
bacteria- (2.0-3.0)
plant (corn)- 0.20
animal (human)- 3.11
✔✔Nutrients - ✔✔elements required by organisms for metabolism and growth
✔✔Biogeochemistry - ✔✔physical, chemical, biological factors that influence the
movements and transformation of elements
,✔✔Assimilation - ✔✔requires energy:
inorganic -> organic
✔✔Dissimilation - ✔✔releases energy:
organic -> inorganic
✔✔Minerals in rocks - ✔✔abiotic source of nutrients:
-potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus
-weathering
✔✔Gases in atmosphere - ✔✔abiotic source of nutrients:
-78% N, 21% O, 0.9% argon, 0.039% CO2
-atmospheric deposition
-chemical fixation
✔✔Mechanical weathering - ✔✔physical alteration of rocks
(freezing, wetting/rewetting, "broken apart)
-lichens
✔✔Chemical weathering - ✔✔minerals subjected to chemical processes
(oxidation)
-lichens
✔✔Atmospheric deposition - ✔✔precipitation, particles, aerosols, and gases move from
the atmosphere to the earth's surface
✔✔Hydrologic cycle - ✔✔movement of water through ecosystems and atmosphere
driven by evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation
✔✔Detritivores - ✔✔physically break organic matter into smaller pieces
✔✔Decomposers - ✔✔organisms which break dead organic matter into inorganic
elements
✔✔Mineralization - ✔✔breaking dead organic matter into inorganic elements
✔✔Nitrogen fixation - ✔✔converts atmospheric nitrogen into forms producers can use
N2 -> NH3 -> NH4 or NO3
-requires energy
✔✔Biotic fixation - ✔✔free-living and mutualistic bacteria
(rhizobia, frankia)
, ✔✔Abiotic fixation - ✔✔lightning, wildfires, fossil fuel, combustion, fertilizer production
(energy from fossil fuels)
✔✔Nitrification - ✔✔conversion of ammonium to nitrate by bacteria
(nitrates more easily used by plants)
✔✔Assimilation of nitrogen - ✔✔incorporation of NH4 or NO3 into organism tissues
✔✔Ammonification - ✔✔nitrogen on organic matter (feces) converted to ammonia or
ammonium
-fungal and bacterial decomposers
-can then be converted back into nitrates (nitrification)
✔✔Denitrification - ✔✔nitrates converted into nitrogen gas by bacteria under anaerobic
conditions
-NO3 to NO
-NO to N2
(returns nitrogen to atmosphere)
✔✔Nitrogen cycle - ✔✔1. nitrogen fixation
2. intermediate processes
3. denitrification
✔✔Phosphorus cycle - ✔✔terrestrial & aquatic system
-needed for bones, scales, teeth, DNA, RNA, ATP, phospholipids in the cell membrane
✔✔Terrestrial system - ✔✔-PO4 sources: uplifted rock is
weathered/mined, particles
travel in run-off
-plants assimilate PO4 (pass to consumers)
-excretion and decomposition return PO4 to soil
-Leaching/run-off carries "excess" to aquatic system
✔✔Aquatic system - ✔✔-PO4 assimilated by producers (& consumed)
(excreted/decomposed)
-PO4 precipitates and forms sediment
-some sedimentary rock is later uplifted, moving PO$ back to terrestrial system
✔✔Oligotrophic - ✔✔-low nutrient levels (N & P)
-low NPP
-healthy, diverse fish & invertebrate communities
✔✔Eutrophic - ✔✔-nutrient rich (N & P)
-high phytoplankton, algae abundance and turnover
-oxygen depleted -> anaerobic organisms
