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Why is the carbon cycle essential for ecosystems, and what are carbon sinks?
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The carbon cycle is essential for maintaining balance in ecosystems, with carbon sinks like forests absorbing carbon dioxide, mitigating climate change.
Describe how the nitrogen cycle is impacted by human activities.
Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and agriculture contribute to nitrogen fixation, leading to eutrophication and other ecological impacts.
In what ways do predation and competition influence population dynamics within an ecosystem?
Predation regulates prey populations, while competition for resources can limit species growth and distribution, shaping community structures.
What role do keystone species play in ecosystems?
Keystone species are crucial for maintaining ecosystem balance and biodiversity. Removing them can lead to significant changes in the ecosystem.
Describe the energy transfer efficiency between trophic levels in an ecosystem.
Approximately 10% of energy is transferred between trophic levels, with the rest lost as heat or used in metabolic processes.
How did human intervention in Lake Washington in 1965 restore its ecological balance?
By controlling effluent and reducing phosphorus input, algae levels decreased, restoring oxygen levels and ecological balance.
How did phosphorus from sewage impact Lake Washington in the mid-1900s?
Phosphorus led to algae blooms, depleting oxygen and causing fish deaths due to nutrient-rich wastewater.
What processes are involved in the water cycle, and how do they support ecosystems?
Processes like evaporation, precipitation, transpiration, and percolation are crucial for supplying fresh water, supporting plant and animal life.
Define the term 'ecology' in the context of biological studies.
Ecology is the study of organisms' interactions with their environment and involves multiple disciplines such as biology, geology, and chemistry.
How does energy from the sun power ecosystems?
The sun is the primary energy source, with primary producers like plants using photosynthesis to convert solar energy into chemical energy.
How does mutualism differ from parasitism in symbiotic relationships?
In mutualism, both organisms benefit, whereas in parasitism, one benefits at the expense of the other.
Illustrate how abiotic factors interact with biotic components in an ecosystem.
Abiotic factors such as sunlight, water, and minerals interact with biotic components like plants and animals to support life processes.
What are the key concepts necessary to understand how ecosystems sustain human societies?
Ecology, hierarchy of biological organization, ecosystem components and interactions, energy transformations across trophic levels, biogeochemical cycles, abiotic and biotic interactions, and symbiotic relationships.
Explain the significance of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics in ecosystems.
The First Law states energy is conserved, while the Second Law indicates entropy increases, reducing available energy, impacting ecosystem energy efficiency.
What distinguishes the phosphorus cycle from other biogeochemical cycles?
The phosphorus cycle lacks a significant atmospheric component and primarily involves rock formations and fertilizer runoff.
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