Download Unit Review and Study Guide Unit 1: Ecosystems Essential

Unit Review and Study Guide
Unit 1: Ecosystems
Essential Standards: Bio 2.1, 2.2
Major Topics: Ecological organization, Energy Flow, Matter Cycling, Interactions/Behaviors, Population Dynamics/Human
Interactions
Big Ideas: The Earth works as a system, Natural Selection drives change and adaptation, Abiotic and biotic factors are
constantly interacting within an ecosystem.
Essential Questions: How do matter and energy cycle through the planet? How do adaptations lead to species survival?
How do organisms interact with one another for survival? How can humans impact the planet positively and negatively?
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Essential Standard: Bio.2.1 Analyze the interdependence of living organisms within their environments.
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Bio.2.1.1 Analyze the flow of energy and cycling of matter (water, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) through ecosystems
relating the significance of each to maintaining the health and sustainability of an ecosystem.
1. How do energy and nutrients/matter travel differently through the biosphere?
2. What is the ultimate source of energy in an ecosystem? Why must energy be constantly added to an ecosystem?
3. What are herbivores? Omnivores? Carnivores? Decomposers?
4. Create a double bubble comparing and contrasting autotrophs and heterotrophs.
5. Create/label a food chain with a producer, primary, secondary, and tertiary consumer.
6. Analyze and explain what can be modeled by an ecological pyramid.
7. What is biomass?
8. Which trophic level always has the most biomass? Energy? Why?
9. What is a trophic level? What happens to energy flow as you move up the trophic levels?
10. What percentage of energy passes to each trophic level? Why?
11. What are the main processes involved in the carbon cycle? What does each process do in regards to CO2. Be sure to
include which organisms are involved and how.
12. What are the main processes involved in the nitrogen cycle? What organism is really important to cycle Nitrogen?
13. What would happen if a pond received runoff from a farm containing fertilizers? Why?
Bio.2.1.2 Analyze the survival and reproductive success of organisms in terms of behavioral, structural, and
reproductive adaptations. (*More from this objective will be covered in Unit 4: Evolution and Genetics!)
Bio.2.1.3 Explain various ways organisms interact with each other (including predation, competition, parasitism,
mutualism) and with their environments resulting in stability within ecosystems.
14. What is behavior? Why are behavior adaptations important in ecosystems?
15. How are innate and learned behaviors different?
16. Create a tree map comparing: operant conditioning, habituation, classical conditioning, and insight. Give examples!
17. Compare and contrast pheromones and language as communication behaviors.
18. Create a thinking map comparing various behaviors and include examples.
19. What are taxes? Give some examples of different types.
20. Describe symbiosis. Why are predator/prey relationships not symbiotic?
21. Create a thinking map comparing mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism. Include examples!
Bio.2.1.4 Explain why ecosystems can be relatively stable over hundreds or thousands of years, even though
populations may fluctuate (emphasizing availability of food, availability of shelter, number of predators and
disease).
22. Describe population density. Give examples of locations with high population densities and low population densities.
23. Why is linear growth of populations possible, but unlikely in nature?
24. Describe exponential growth. Include a diagram of the type of graph associated and characteristics of organisms that
grow exponentially.
25. Describe logistic growth. Include a diagram of the type of graph associated and characteristics of organisms that grow
logistically.
26. What is carrying capacity. Describe the factors that determine carrying capacity in various environments.
27. What are limiting factors?
28. Compare and contrast density dependent and density independent limiting factors. Provide examples!
29. How are immigration and emigration different?
Unit Review and Study Guide
Unit 1: Ecosystems
Essential Standards: Bio 2.1, 2.2
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Bio.2.2 Understand the impact of human activities on the environment (one generation affects the next).
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Bio.2.2.1 Infer how human activities (including population growth, pollution, global warming, burning of fossil
fuels, habitat destruction and introduction of nonnative species) may impact the environment.
30. How has the human population grown over time?
31. Describe and give an example of a demographic transition.
32. Describe how birth and death rates influence population growth.
33. Explain what can be determined from an age structure diagram.
34. What is biodiversity and why is it so important?
35. Contrast these concepts for species populations: threatened, endangered, and extinct.
36. Describe and contrast the various levels of habitat change induced by humans and explain their impact to biodiversity.
37. Describe how global climate change can alter habitats and biodiversity of the planet.
38. Why does burning fossil fuels have such an impact on the planet? Explain its relationship to the greenhouse effect.
39. Describe bioaccumulation/biological magnification. Give examples!
40. Describe and give examples of various types of human pollution including air, water, land.
41. What are invasive species? Give examples. Why are these problematic to maintaining biodiversity?
Bio.2.2.2 Explain how the use, protection and conservation of natural resources by humans impact the environment
from one generation to the next.
42. What are some ways human can work to conserve nature? Create a tree map or bubble map to show various
examples.
43. What is sustainable use? Provide examples. Why is it becoming more present in today’s world?
44. Are humans today more or less interested in protecting nature and biodiversity than they have been in the past? Why
do you think so?