Unit 2 – STUDY GUIDE
ECOLOGY
Name: ______
Period: ______
Chapter 3
Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work
Key Terms - (Terms are listed in the same font style as they appear in the text.)
species (p. 51)
ecology (p. 52)
population (p. 52)
organism (p. 52)
biosphere (p. 53)
community (p. 53)
ecosystem (p. 53)
habitat (p. 53)
atmosphere (p. 54)
hydrosphere (p. 55)
geosphere (p. 55)
biomes (p. 55)
natural greenhouse effect (p. 56)
abiotic (p. 57)
biotic (p. 57)
range of tolerance (p. 57)
limiting factor principle (p. 58)
photosynthesis (p. 58)
autotrophs (p. 58)
producers (p. 58)
aerobic respiration (p. 59)
anaerobic respiration / fermentation (p. 59)
carnivores (p. 59)
chemosynthesis (p. 59)
consumers (p. 59)
decomposers (p. 59)
detritivores (p. 59)
omnivores (p. 59)
herbivores (p. 59)
primary consumers (p. 59)
secondary consumers (p. 59)
third and higher level consumers (p. 59)
microbes (p. 61)
food chain (p. 61)
food web (p. 62)
trophic level (p. 61)
biomass (p. 62)
ecological efficiency (p. 62)
pyramid of energy flow (p. 62)
gross primary productivity (GPP) (p. 64)
net primary productivity (NPP) (p. 64)
nutrient (biogeochemical) cycles (p. 65)
hydrologic (water) cycles (p. 65)
transpiration (p. 65)
carbon cycle (p. 67)
nitrogen cycle (p. 68)
nitrogen-fixing bacteria (p. 68)
nitrification (p. 69)
ammonification (p. 69)
denitrification (p. 69)
acid deposition (acid rain) ( p. 69)
phosphorous cycle (p. 70)
sulfur cycle (p. 70)
Chapter 3 – Guiding Questions
1. List and distinguish among five levels of organization of matter that are the focus of the realm of ecology.
2. Briefly describe the three factors that sustain life on Earth.
3. Briefly describe what happens to the solar energy reaching the Earth.
4. List three abiotic factors that have large effects on ecosystems.
5. Describe three main types of biotic components of ecosystems.
6. Explain how a range of tolerance and limiting factors affect an organism’s population size and distribution (range).
7. Distinguish between producers and consumers. List and distinguish between four types of consumers.
8. Distinguish between detritus feeders and decomposers.
9. Give the equations for photosynthesis and respiration. What is the difference between aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration?
10. What species does the book say “run the world” and why are they so important? (Science focus on p. 61)
11. Apply the second law of energy to food chains and trophic levels (they describe energy flow in ecosystems).
12. Ecological efficiency follows something called the 10% rule. What do you think this rule refers to and how does it explain why food chains rarely have more than 4 levels?
13. In your own words, describe what is happening in Figure 3-13.
14. What is the difference between gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP)?
15. Describe/diagram the water cycle.
16. Describe/diagram the carbon cycle.
17. Describe/diagram the nitrogen cycle.
18. Describe/diagram the phosphorus cycle.
19. Describe/diagram the sulfur cycle.
Chapter 12
Food, Soil, and Pest Management
Soils: A Renewable Resource
weathering (p. 281)
soil (p. 281)
soil profile (p. 281)
soil horizons (p. 281)
O horizon (p. 281)
A horizon (p. 281)
humus (p. 281)
leaching (not in textbook)
B horizon (subsoil) (p. 281)
C horizon (parent material) (p. 281)
1. Using Figure 12-A, sketch a soil profile and briefly describe the 4 soil horizons. (Science focus on p. 281)