BIOSPHERE
Chapter 3
REVIEW
http://educ.queensu.ca/~fmc/august2004/pages/dinobreath.html
List the 6 levels of organization that
ecologists study from smallest to
largest
Organisms → Populations →
Communities →
Ecosystems →
Biomes →
BIOSPHERE
Name 4 ways organisms in an ecosystem
interact with each other
Competition
Predation
Cooperation
Symbiosis
All the organisms that live in a place
PLUS their non-living environment
ecosystem
Another name for autotrophs
producers
Give an example of cooperation
Grooming, sharing food,
sharing care of offspring,
group defense against predators
group hunting; care for sick/injured
Tell the two ways AUTOtrophs get
their energy
Chemosynthsis & photosynthesis
The portion of the Earth in which
all life exists
biosphere
Make a food chain out of the following:
herbivore
omnivore
autotroph
autotroph → herbivore → omnivore
WHICH ORGANISMS are responsible for
removing nitrogen from and returning
nitrogen to the atmosphere?
BACTERIA in soil
The process of taking nitrogen from the
atmosphere and changing it into a form plants
can use is called ______________________
NITROGEN FIXATION
The process of converting soil nitrogen back
into atmospheric form is called
DENITRIFICATION
_______________________
Matter moves through ecosystems
biogeochemical cycles
in ______________
food chains/webs
biogeochemical cycles
Which of these is a decomposer?
↑
Fungi and SOME bacteria are decomposers
Organism that eats both plants and
meat
omnivore
Process in which water from plant
leaves evaporates into the atmosphere
transpiration
How does the way matter flows through
an ecosystem differ from the way that
energy flows?
Energy is passed in one-way direction through
the biotic (living organisms) in an ecosystem.
Matter cycles within and between biotic and
abiotic parts of an ecosystem.
Which biogeochemical cycle does NOT
involve a stage where the chemical
enters the atmosphere? phosphorus
Process in which bacteria convert nitrates
into nitrogen gas and release it into the
atmosphere
denitrification
Nutrient which is scare or cycles slowly
that controls population growth
Limiting nutrient
Give an example of a decomposer
Bacteria or fungi
(break down organic material and absorb the nutrients)
Which group of organisms is always
found in the first trophic level of
every food chain or web?
Autotrophs or producers
Why is only about 10% of the
energy in an organism
transferred in a food chain?
Some is used by organism for life
processes such as movement, transport,
metabolism, growth, reproduction, and
rest is lost as HEAT
Give an example of an ABIOTIC factor
Climate, temperature, precipitation,
wind, soil type, water availability,
sunlight
Give an example of a RESOURCE
Food, water, shelter, territory, light
Another name for autotrophs
producers
Who is it?
Heterotroph that obtains energy by
eating only plants
Heterotroph that eats both plants and
animals
Heterotroph that breaks down organic
matter (Ex: Fungi & bacteria)
HERBIVORE
___________________
OMNIVORE
_____________________
DECOMPOSER
__________________
Heterotroph that feed on dead plants
DETRITIVORE
and animal remains (EX:Crabs & worms) ___________________
Heterotroph that eats only meat
CARNIVORE
___________________
How is a food web different from a
food chain?
Food webs are made up of many food chains
Which of these is an herbivore?
↑
Zebras are herbivores
How is a symbiosis DIFFERENT from
cooperation?
Cooperation is between organisms of same species;
Symbiosis is between different species of organisms
Tell two ways water returns to the
atmosphere in the water cycle.
Evaporation and transpiration
An organism that eats both meat
and plants
omnivore
Name a limiting factor that could
cause a population to decrease
Competition- for food, shelter, territory
Predation
Disease/Parasitism
Drought/climate change
Human disturbance
Carbon cycles through the biosphere
in all of the following EXCEPT:
Photosynthesis
respiration
transpiration decomposition
TRANSPIRATION moves
water in the water cycle
An organism that eats ONLY plants
herbivore
PUT THE FOLLOWING IN ORDER OF INCREASING
COMPLEXITY
ORGANISM
COMMUNITY
ECOSYSTEM
BIOSPHERE
POPULATION
BIOME
ORGANISM
POPULATION  ________________
COMMUNITY 
________________
 ________________
ECOSYSTEM  ________________
BIOSPHERE
________________
BIOME
 ________________

The portion of the Earth in which
all life exists
biosphere
Organism that captures and eats
another
predator
What is the difference between a
BIOTIC and ABIOTIC factor?
Biotic factors are living;
Abiotic factors are the non-living
parts of an ecosystem
Which organisms are responsible for
nitrogen fixation in the nitrogen cycle?
Bacteria in soil
Symbiotic relationship in which
both organisms benefit from their close
association
mutualism
An “organism’s job” that includes what it eats,
what eats it, where in the habitat it lives, how it
acts, and when & how it reproduces?
niche
Tell one way chemosynthesis is different
from photosynthsis.
Photosynthesis
Requires light
Gets energy from
sunlight
Chemosynthesis
Happens without light
Gets energy from
chemical bonds
In the nitrogen cycle, bacteria living
on the roots of plants turn nitrogen gas
from the atmosphere into _________.
ammonia
Tell one way chemosynthesis and
photosynthesis are ALIKE.
Both: Ways organisms get energy
Use energy to make carbohydrates
Happen in autotrophs
Energy moves through ecosystems in
________________.
food chains/webs
biogeochemical cycles
food chains/webs
A group of individuals that belong to the
same species that live together in an area
population
Another name for heterotrophs
consumers
Which of the following is TRUE?
Producers make up the first trophic level.
TRUE
Food chains are made by linking many food webs.
FALSE: Food webs are made by linking food chains
All the energy is passed from one trophic level to the next
F Only about 10% is passed on to the next level.
Most is used for life processes or lost as heat
Energy flows through the ecosystem in one direction from
the sun to producers to consumers.
TRUE
Organisms that are able to take in energy
from their environment and make their
own carbohydrates are called
___________________________
autotrophs
Which of these is a carnivore?
↑
Lions are carnivores
Group of different populations
that live together in an area
community
All the living things an ecosystem
that an organism might interact with
Biotic factors
food chain
This diagram shows a ____________
BIOLOGY; Miller and Levine; Prentice Hall; 2006
Which of the organisms above is:
algae
a producer ? ______________
Zooplankton, fish, squid, shark
a consumer? _____________
How many trophic levels are shown? 5
Principle that states no two organisms
can share the same niche at the same
time in the same place
Competitive exclusion principle
Chemical substance organisms need
to sustain life
nutrient
Which of the following is TRUE?
Bacteria take carbon dioxide from the atomosphere and
fix it in a form plants can use.
This is TRUE about nitrogen NOT CARBON DIOXIDE
Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere naturally from
respiration and volcanic activity .
TRUE
Human activities such as mining, cutting and burning
forests, and burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere.
TRUE
Photosynthesis by plants removes carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere.
TRUE
How is a detritivore different from a
decomposer?
Detritivores EAT dead organisms;
Decomposers break them down and
absorb their nutrients
Name one of the biogeochemical cycles
you learned about
Carbon, nitrogen, Water (hydrogen &
oxygen); phosphorus
Group of organisms so similar that they
can breed and produce fertile offspring
species
An organism that is captured and
eaten by another
prey
Which of the following is TRUE?
Burning fossil fuels is depleting our ozone layer
FALSE: Burning fossil fuels causes many environmental
problems… but the ozone hole is caused by CFC’s
Burning fossil fuels causes acid rain.
TRUE
Burning fossil fuels is the major cause of global warming.
TRUE
Conserving electricity, using renewable energy sources
(like biofuels , solar, and wind), riding a bike, recycling
waste, making products more energy efficient are all ways
to help the global warming problem TRUE
Process in which some bacteria use
energy stored in the chemical bonds
of inorganic compounds to make
carbohydrates in the absence of light
chemosynthesis
Series of steps in which organisms
transfer energy through an ecosystem
by eating and being eaten
Food chain
Which of the following is TRUE about the
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE?
Phosphate is released as rocks and sediments wear down
TRUE
Plants absorb phosphate from the soil or from water
TRUE
Phosphorus is abundant in the atmosphere.
FALSE, phosphorus does NOT cycle through the
atomosphere.
Phosphorus is important for building nucleic acids, ATP,
and making cell membranes.
TRUE
Symbiotic relationship in which one
organism benefits but the other is
neither harmed nor helped
commensalism
The scientific study of interactions
between organisms and between
organisms and their environment
ecology
This diagram
is called a
food web
_______________
What do you think would happen to the snake
population in this community if all the pine borer
bugs were killed by a virus?
A loss in pine borer bugs would decrease the populations of
salamanders and golden crested kinglets (food for the snake)
Loss of pine borers would eventually cause a decrease in the
snake population too.
Any necessity for life such as
water, food, light, or space
resource
Relationship in which organisms
attempt to use the same resource
at the same time and place
competition
Look at the food
web shown.
What do you think will happen to the limpet population if all
the mussels are wiped out in an oil spill?
it will increase
it will decrease
it will stay the same; mussels
don’t connect to limpets in this web
Everything’s connected ! No mussels means crabs will eat
more limpets; limpet population will decrease
Which of the following is part of the
HYDROLOGIC OR WATER CYCLE ?
RUNOFF
YES
TRANSPIRATION YES
EVAPORATION
YES
NITRIFICATION
NO - part of NITROGEN CYCLE
CONDENSATION
YES
NITROGEN FIXATION NO - part of NITROGEN CYCLE
PRECIPITATION
YES
Organism such as bacteria or fungi
that break down organic matter
decomposers
Each step in a food chain or web
trophic level
Tell something living things use nitrogen for.
Making proteins
(amino part of amino acids)
Making nucleic acids (nitrogen bases)
Part of ATP molecule (nitrogen base)
How is movement of matter in an ecosystem
different than the movement of energy?
Energy flows one direction through food chains;
matter recycles continuously in biogeochemical
cycles
Groups of different species that live
together in an area make up a
community
__________________
Which of these is an omnivore?
↑
Most humans are omnivores
Cycle which includes an underground
reservoir in the form of fossil fuels
Carbon cycle
Another name for the water cycle
Hydrologic cycle
Process in which green plants use
energy from sunlight to produce
carbohydrates
photosynthesis
Another name for a living thing
organism
Tell the group of organisms that all the
cycles have in common which keeps
matter cycling between living (organic)
and nonliving (inorganic) parts of the
ecosystem.
decomposers
Which of the following is TRUE?
Organisms return nitrogen to the ground as ammonia
when they go to the bathroom.
TRUE.
Bacteria in soil change ammonia into nitrates and nitrites
which plants use.
TRUE
We get our nitrogen by breathing.
FALSE: Although the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen , it is
in a form we can’t use. We get our nitrogen from the food
we eat.
Nitrogen returns to the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels.
FALSE; Bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere
through DENITRIFICATION. Burning fossil fuels
returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
Which 4 atoms make up over 95% of the
body in most organisms?
Carbon, Hydrogen, nitrogen , oxygen
Which of the biogeochemical cycles you
learned about recycles hydrogen and
oxygen?
Hydrologic or water cycle
Organism such as mites, snail,
earthworms, or crabs that eat dead
plants or animals
detritivore
Process in which bacteria in soil
convert nitrogen gas into ammonia
Nitrogen fixation
Tell 2 of the 3 ways bacteria help
with the nitrogen cycle.
Some bacteria in soil & on plant roots
convert nitrogen gas to ammonia (nitrogen fixation)
Other soil bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates &
nitrites that the plants can use
Other bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas and
return it to atmosphere (denitrification)
Name the two sources of energy for ALL life
on Earth
Sunlight and inorganic chemical bonds
An organism that eats ONLY meat
carnivore
Tell how a detritovore is different from
a decomposer.
Both get nutrients from dead organisms;
detritivores eat dead stuff; decomposers
Absorb energy from dead stuff, but
DON’T actually EAT it.
Symbiotic relationship in which one
organism benefits by living on or
inside another which is harmed
parasitism
Principle that states no 2 organisms
can occupy the same niche in the same
habitat at the same time.
Competitive exclusion principle
Which level is it?
Group of individuals that belong to the same
POPULATION
species and live in the same area. ___________________
Group of ecosystems that have the same climate
BIOME
and communities
_____________________
Organisms so similar to one another that
SPECIES
they can breed and produce fertile offspring __________________
COMMUNITY
Populations that live together in an area ____________________
BIOSPHERE
Portion of the planet in which all life exists ___________________
Collection of all the organisms that live in an
ECOSYSTEM
area together with their physical environment ___________________
Organisms that can make their own food
using energy from sunlight or chemical
bonds in inorganic compounds
autotrophs or producers
All the non-living things such as
climate, temperature, weather,
soil type, or sunlight in an
ecosystem that impact an organism
Abiotic factors
Another name for the water cycle
Hydrologic cycle
Cycle in which photosynthesis and
cellular respiration participate
Carbon cycle
Organism that can’t make its own
food and get energy from
consuming other organisms
heterotrophs or consumers
Any relationship in which two species
live closely together
symbiosis
Interaction in which one organism
captures and feeds on another.
predation
Network of complex interactions
linking all the food chains in an
ecosystem food web
Organism that eats only plants
herbivore
Process in which elements, chemical
compounds, and other forms of matter
are passed from part of the biosphere
to another
Biogeochemical cycle
Organism that eats only meat
carnivore
Process in which liquid water
changes into a gas
evaporation
Click here , scroll down, and
complete the food web matching
activity
Although almost 80% of the atmosphere is made up of
nitrogen gas, most living things don’t have the enzymes
necessary to use nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.
Tell how we get the nitrogen we need to make proteins
and DNA if we can’t get it from breathing.
From food we eat
Process that is part of the carbon cycle
in which sunlight is used to change
atmospheric carbon into biomolecules
used for energy by living things
photosynthesis
Cycle in which transpiration,
evaporation, and condensation play
a role
Water/hydrologic cycle
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/wildlife/whales/foodweb.gif
Name a producer in the food web shown
phytoplankton
What kind of heterotroph is a leopard seal?
carnivore
Cycle in which volcanic activity and
burning fossil fuels plays a role
Carbon cycle
Cycle which is dependent on bacteria
for nitrogen fixation and denitrification
Nitrogen cycle
Which type of organism is always on the
first trophic level of every food chain
A producer
The process in which organisms use chemical
energy stored IN THE CHEMICAL BONDS OF
INORGANIC MOLECULES to make their own
food in the absence of light is called
_____________________
chemosynthesis
Process in which the break down of sugars in
living things returns carbon to the
atmosphere as CO2 during the carbon cycle
Cellular respiration
Cycle which is dependent on bacteria
for nitrogen fixation and denitrification
Nitrogen cycle
http://sps.k12.ar.us/massengale/ecology_notes_bi.htm
Name an omnivore in the food web shown
Rats, voles, mice, & mallards eat both plants and animals
What kind of heterotroph is the snail in this food web?
herbivore
Tell 2 human activities by which carbon
can enter the atmosphere as CO2
during the carbon cycle
Cellular respiration,
burning fossil fuels
Tell one way carbon leaves the atmosphere
during the carbon cycle.
Photosynthesis
CO2 gas dissolves in water;
Name 2 NON-human activities by which
carbon can enter the atmosphere or oceans
during the carbon cycle.
Volcanic activity
Decomposition of dead organisms
Deposition as fossil fuels
Erosion
Tell one way bacteria help with
biogeochemical cycles.
Nitrogen fixation & denitrification (nitrogen cycle)
Decomposers break down dead organisms (carbon cycle)
Tell something humans do to return nitrogen
to the soil for the nitrogen cycle.
Add fertilizers;
waste treatment plants
Name the 4 biogeochemical cycles you
learned about.
Carbon, hydrologic (water);
nitrogen; phosphorus