Continuing with the project to learn new skills, essential ecology lays the foundations for learning more about the environment.
In the long run it will contribute to various marketing, sustainability and self-sufficiency projects.
Essential Ecology Questions
The questions below are mostly answers given to ChatGPT for a grade, with recommended additions to bring the mark from 86% to 100%
Fundamentals of Ecology
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is refers to the habitat composed of living organisms (biocenosis), the non-living environment (biotope) and the interactions between them.
What is a population in an ecological context?
A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in a specific area and intereact with each other.
What is the difference between a terrestrial ecosystem and an aquatic ecosystem?
A terrestrial ecosystem are those that occur on land, such as forest, deserts and savannahs. It’s form and function can be affected by factors such as sunlight, the temperature, humidity and the type of soil.
Aquatic ecosystems are those that occur in water, such as the oceans, lakes and rivers. They can be affected by sunlight, salinity, depth and the flow of water
What is a trophic pyramid?
A trophic pyramid is a graphic representation showing the biomass, energy or the number of individuals at each trophic level of an ecosystem.
What is a niche in ecology?
An ecological niche refers to the role a species plays in it’s ecosystem or habitat. It includes it’s diet, behaviour and interractions with other species.
What is an ecological succession?
An ecological succession is the process of change in the composition species in an ecological community, beginning with the initial colonisation up to point of a stable climax community.
The climate community could later be disturbed by events such as a forest fire.
What is a carrying capacity of an ecological system?
A carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can support without degrading the available resources.
What is a symbiotic relationship?
A symbiotic relationship is the long-term interaction between two organisms of different species living in direct contact with each other. Types of symbiotic relationships include mutualism, commensalism and parasitism.
What is interspecific competition?
Interspecific competition refers to individuals of different species competing for the same limited resources, such as food, water or territory.
Energy Flow and Biogeochemical Cycles
How does energy flow in an ecosystem?
Energy flows through in ecosystem through the trophic levels, starting with the autotrophic producers (such as plants), to the primary consumers (herbivores) and then secondary and tertiary consumers (carnivores and omnivores)
What is net primary productivity?
Net primary productivity refers to the amount of energy that autotrophic producers store after subtracting the energy used in their own respiration.
What role do decomposers play in ecosystems?
Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organic matter, returning essential nutrients to the soil and allowing them to be reused by producers.
What is the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle refers to the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, soils, sediments, and living organisms through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
The nitrogen cycle refers to the movement of nitrogen between the atmosphere, soil, water, and living organisms through processes like nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and ammonification.
What is nitrogen fixation?
Nitrogen fixation is the process by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into usable nitrogen compounds, such as ammonia. This can be done by nitrogen-fixing bacteria or through industrial processes.
What is the water cycle?
The water cycle is the movement of water between the atmosphere, land surface, and water bodies through processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration.
What is photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is the process of using solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Plants, algae, and certain bacteria use photosynthesis.
How does cellular respiration affect energy flow?
Organisms use the process of cellular respiration to break down organic molecules (such as glucose) to release usable energy (ATP), returning carbon dioxide and water to the environment.
What is secondary productivity?
Secondary productivity is the amount of energy that heterotrophic consumers store as biomass after subtracting the energy used for respiration and other metabolic functions.
What is bioaccumulation?
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of toxic substances, such as heavy metals and pesticides, in the tissues of organisms through food chains, increasing their concentration at higher trophic levels.
Abiotic Factors
What are abiotic factors in an ecosystem?
Abiotic factors are the non-living elements that influence living organisms and include temperature, sunlight, water, soil, pH, nutrients, salinity, wind, and altitude.
How do climatic factors affect ecosystems?
Climatic factors determine the distribution and functioning of ecosystems by influencing the living conditions of species. Such factors include temperature, precipitation, and sunlight,
What is salinity and how does it affect aquatic ecosystems?
Salinity is the concentration of dissolved salts in water. It can affect osmosis and the physiology of aquatic organisms, limiting the species that can live in certain water bodies.
Too much salinity can result in the death of plants in aquatic ecosystems. The can lead to erosion of soil and the degradation of the habitat harming the species that live within it.
What is pH and how does it influence ecosystems?
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It affects the majority of biological processes in water making it one of the most important factors limiting the distribution of aquatic especies. Also, it can influence the solubility of nutrients and the toxicity of heavy metals, affecting the health of plants and animals.
What is sunlight and what is its importance for ecosystems?
Sunlight is the primary energy source for photosynthesis, a fundamental process for primary production in ecosystems.
What is temperature and how does it affect living organisms?
Temperature measures how hot or cold something is. It affects metabolic rates, geographic distribution, and the behaviour of organisms. Also, extreme temperatures can limit the survival and reproduction of species.
What role do nutrients play in ecosystems?
Nutrients are essential for the growth and reproduction of organisms for example, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Their availability can limit the productivity of ecosystems.
What is wind and how can it influence ecosystems?
Wind refers to the natural movement of the air. It can influence the dispersal of seeds, the transport of nutrients, and soil erosion. It can also affect local temperature and humidity.
Essential Ecology and AI – Pros and Cons
The essentials of Chemistry post mentions a few pros and cons, but for essential ecology a couple more cropped up.
As mentioned the explanations above are mostly the answers graded by ChatGPT with a few additional extras that the AI believes is necessary to receive a score of 100%.
One benefit is that this approach allows you learn extra little bits that might not be obvious when you investigate the answers.
A potential downside to this is that some of the information might raise more questions such as “What is biocenosis?”. This information is now in the Biology Preparation post.