1. Define the following terms:
Gross production: the total amount of organic matter produced by plants in an ecosystem. (1 p. 154)
Net production
Biomass
2. Explain why gross production is always higher than net production.
3. State the calculation for determining gross production, net production and respiration.
4. The following passage outlines some of the energy flow in an ecosystem.
From the IB Biology QuestionBank CDRom
a. Calculate the efficiency (in %) of the conversion of light energy into gross production.
b. Draw a pyramid of energy for the ecosystem.
c. Explain the shape of the pyramid of energy.
5. Study the energy flow diagram below.
From the IB Biology QuestionBank CDRom
a. Calculate the net production of the autotrophs.
b. Calculate the percentage of energy lost as heat in:
i.
Autotrophs
ii.
Heterotrophs
c. Suggest reasons for the differences in energy loss as heat between autotrophs and
heterotrophs.
6. Discuss the difficulties of classifying organisms into trophic levels.
7. Explain the small biomass and low numbers of organisms in higher trophic levels.
8. Discuss how the high-meat diet of the developed world (which is aspired to by many developing
nations) may be speeding our approach of the planet’s carrying capacity for humans, and some
of the steps that can be taken to reduce this effect.
9. Describe what is meant by ecological succession.
10. Distinguish between primary and secondary succession, with examples:
Primary
Secondary
Explanation
Example 1:
Example 2:
11. Describe the effects of succession on the following factors:
Productivity
Biomass
Biodiversity
12. Explain the following ways in which living organisms affect the abiotic environment in primary
succession:
Soil composition & strength
Organic nutrients
Mineral Nutrients
Water uptake
13. Distinguish between biome and biosphere.
14. Explain how rainfall and temperature affect the distribution of biomes.
15. Whittaker’s Climograph is a well-known representation of temperature, rainfall and distribution
of biomes in the world:
From http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~etaylor/413www/commun_dist2.html
a. Identify the biomes likely to be found under these conditions:
i.
180mm y-1, 10oC
-1
o
ii.
0-50mm y ,0-30 C
-1
o
iii.
60mm y , 10 C
-1
o
iv.
250-450mm y , 20-30 C v.
0-50mm y-1,-15-0oC
-
b. Describe the characteristics of the following biomes, using individual climographs and
including details of vegetation. You can print this page if you wish.
c. Outline how climate change leads to species migration, redistribution and possible
extinction.