UNIT 7. THE DYNAMICS OF ECOSYSTEMS.

Matter and energy in ecosystems.

1. What would happen if an ecosystem did not have bacteria and

fungi? And what if it did not have autotrophic organisms?

Bacteria and fungi are 'decomposers' and transform organic matter

into inorganic compounds and return them to the environment.
Without bacteria to break down the organic matter (biological
waste) dead organisms could not return their nutrients to the
system environment and ecosystems would not exist.
Autotrophic organisms are capable of creating nutrients from inorganic
matter. Without the autotrophic organisms, the inorganic
compounds would not be reused and the cycle could not start
again.
2. In which process do you spend the energy you obtain from the
food you eat every day? Could you reuse it?
Energy is spent through metabolic activity, respiration and movement.
No, because there is a loss of energy, that is why energy is not
reusable.
3. Complete the diagram using the words below. What do the blue
and red arrows represent?
Consumers, producers, decomposers,.

a- Producers, consumers, decomposers.

b- Red: the flow of energy.
c- Blue: the flow of matter.

Biogeochemical cycles.

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4. Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the
false statements
a- Plants can absorb nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.
b- Nitrates are stored in the ground as fossils fuels.
c- Animals use carbon in the form of volcanic matter which is then
transferred from one to another.
d- Some of the nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere by denitrifying
bacteria.

d- False. Plants cannot use nitrogen in this form.

e- False. Some of the carbon from the organic remains can be stored
in the ground as fossil fuels.
f- True
g- True
5. What type of molecules do plants use in the carbon and
nitrogen cycles?
Plants take in carbon as CO2 and nitrogen as nitrates.

6. Where are the main phosphorus reserves in nature?

In phosphate rocks and seawater

7. How are humans part of the carbon cycle?

We burn fossil fuels (oil and coal) only for transportation and the
gases emitted are released into the atmosphere.

8. Look at the image: Why is the excrement of seabirds used as

fertiliser? (imagen página 31, ejercicio 8). In which type of soil
is it used?

It is a good fertiliser because it has phosphates, which are essential for

the development of plants.
It can increase agricultural production in soils that lack phosphates.

9. The greenhouse effect is caused by too much CO2 in the

atmosphere. How does this happen?

There is too much CO2 in the atmosphere because of the excessive use
of fossil fuels.
Too much CO2 in the atmosphere can create a n imbalance in the
biogeochemical processes which will provoke global heating, draughts,
floods, etc.

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10. The following image (pág 42, ej- 38) shows an advert aimed at
farmers:

a) What is nitrate used for?

b) Why do farmers need it?

a- It is used to provide soil with inorganic nutrients.

b- Plants cannot use nitrogen so nitrogen-fixing bacteria transform it
into nitrates so as the plants can absorb it.

11. The following diagram (pág 42, ej- 39) represents the nitrogen
cycle. Indentify what labels 1, 2 and 3 represent.

1- Nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
2- Nitrifying bacteria.
3- Denitrifying bacteria.

12. Some carbon can be stored in the ground for millions of years.
In what form is this carbon?
It is in the form of fossil fuels and coal that originated from organic
remains that were transformed by bacteria a very long time ago.

The organisation of ecosystems

13. From where do producers get the energy they need?

Producers obtain energy from the Sun and other inorganic matter.

14. What is the role of phytoplankton and zooplankton in marine

ecosystems?
Phytoplankton are producers and zooplankton are primary consumers.

15. Deciduous forests are covered in dead leaves during autumn.

Why does the ground level not increase every year? Where do
the dead leaves go?
The ground level does not increase because decomposers transform
organic matter (the leaves) into inorganic matter that producers then
use.

16. Say if the following organisms and the trophic level they
belong to are true or false. Correct the false ones.
a- A cow is a producer
b- A tree is a decomposer
c- A sheep is a primary consumer
d- A tiger is a top carnivore
e- Zooplankton is a secondary consumer

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 a. False. It is a primary consumer.
b. False. It is a producer.
c. True
d. True
e. False. It is a primary consumer.

17. Why is it better for ecosystems to have complex food webs

rather than single food chains?
In ecosystems food chains do not exist isolated but there are food webs
so as one species can feed on others that belong to different food
chains.

18. Who receives more energy in the following food chains, the
blue whale or the sperm whale? Why?
1. Phytoplankton→ krill → blue whale

2. Phytoplankton → zooplankton → small fish → cephalopods → sperm

whale

The blue whale. Because most of energy is lost from one transfer to
another, so it is better to have fewer food chains (most of food
chains have 3, 4 or 5 links).

19. The following diagram represents a food web:

a) Which letters represent the producers?

b) Are there any top carnivores? If so, which one are they?
c) Are decomposers represented in the food web?

a- A, G
b- Yes, C and H
c- No, they would be part of all throphic levels.

An ecosystem productivity
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20. The gross production of the grassland shown in the image
is 5g/m2/day, its biomass is 2kg/m2 and its respiration rate
is 3g/m2/day. (imagen página 34, ejercicio 17).
a) Calculate the net production of the grassland in one year (g/m2/year)

b) What could the amount of biomass that deer consume in one year
be? (g/m2 )

a- 730 g/ m2/year

b- 730 g/ m2

21. The gross production of this grassland is 6g/m2/day, its

biomass is 3kg/m2 and its respiration rate is 4g/m2/day.
(imagen página 35, ejercicio 18)
a) What is its net production?( g/m2/day) And its productivity? (%)

b) Calculate the productivity (%) of the grassland on the previous

activity. Which of the two is more productive?

a- its net production is 2 g/m2/day and its productivity is 0.06 %

c- The productivity of the grassland on the previous activity is 0.1 %
per day

22. Which of the species has narrow range of tolerance and which
one has a wide range of tolerance? (imagen página 35,
ejercicio 19).

Coral: narrow range of tolerance. They can only survive small

variations in environmental factors.
Seagulls: wide range of tolerance. They can survive great variations in
environmental factors.
23. Look at the graph showing the temperature tolerance ranges
of species A and B.

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 a- Species A: wide range of tolerance. Species B: narrow range of
tolerance.
b- 20ºC for both

24. Create a pyramid of numbers belonging to an ecosystem with

the following data. Remember that the size of each rectangle
must be proportional to the value it represents.

25. The energy the producers in an ecosystem have is 6011J

(joules). How much energy will there be available for tertiary
consumers?
Around 6 J

26. The following biomass pyramids represent a terrestrial

ecosystem (1) and a marine ecosystem near the coast (2).
(Imagen página 42, ejercicio 43).

a)Which trophic level does each rectangle represent?

b) Which of the two ecosystems uses more of the available energy?

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 a- In the terrestrial ecosystem's pyramid, the base represents
the plants (producers), above of it the herbivores , followed by the
carnivores and at the top, the top carnivores.
In the marine ecosystem's pyramid, the base represents the
phytoplankton (producers), above of it the zooplankton, followed by
the non-carnivorous fish and at the top, fish that feed on other
fish.
c- The marine ecosystem
27. The following table shows information about the biomass (in
kg) of two trophic levels in an ecosystems:

Level A Level B
Ingested biomass 10,000 5 x 105
Metabolism 9,000 3 x 105
Remains and 500 105
excrement

a) Which trophic level (A or B) feeds on the other one?

b) What is the gross production of each trophic level? And the net
production?

a- Level A feeds on level B.

b- Soluciones del libro:

GP of level A: 10,000

GP of level B;: 10 x 105

NPof level A: 500

NP of level B: 105

Soluciones del cuaderno:

GP of level A: 10,000 g/day

GP of level B: 500,000 kg/day

NP of level A: 10,000 - 9,000 - 500 = 500

NP of level B: 500,000 - 300, 000 - 100,000 = 105 (100,000)

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28. In a specific terrestrial ecosystem the yearly energy transfer
rate between trophic levels is 3%. If a top carnivore has
increased its mass by 600g in 2 years, how much biomass from
herbivorous animals has it consumed during that period of
time to gain that weight?
No hay soluciones.

Population dynamics
29. If in a population of 2000 individuals there are 200 births and
150 deaths every year:
a) What is the birth rate?

b) What is the death rate?

c) What is the biotic potential?

a- BR = 0.1 %
b- DR = 0.075 %
c- r = 0.025
30. Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the
false ones.
a) R-strategists are very well adapted to the environment.
b) K-strategists maintain stable population with the controlled growth.
c) K-strategists spend part of the year in a lethargic state.
d) Lynxes and oaks (robles) are k-strategists.

a- False. They consume resources rapidly and have to emigrate or

change into a lethargic state while they wait for better
environmental conditions.
b- True
c- False. They are very well adapted to the environment and are
common in ecosystems with few environmental variations.
d- True

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31. An initial population of 1250 individuals has a birth rate of 0.9
and a death rate of 0.6. Calculate:
a) The biotic potential

b) If the population is growing or decreasing

c) The number of individuals after one generation.

d) The number of individuals after three generations.

a- r = 0.3 %
b- it's growing
c- around 1,254
d- around 1,262

32. What type of survival curve do mice, elephants and butterflies

have, R-strategists or K-strategists?
Mice: type 2; elephants: type 1; butterflies: type 3
33. A sudden, rapid growth in a population can lead to a plague.
Find out the causes and characteristics of locust plagues.
An increase in serotonin causes plagues of locusts. They can be formed
by thousands or even millions of locusts.
They have negative effects on agriculture because they eat the crops.
34. Name examples of cyclical changes in populations.
Predators - prey (an increase in the number of predators leads to a
decrease in the numbers of prey and as a consequence, a decrease in
the number of predators.
Host- parasite (some hosts can be infected and die)
Herbivore-plant, human -forests....
35. The animals in a population have been counted, below are the
results:
- Total number of animals: 200

- Animals that are less than a month old: 15

- Deaths within the last month: 20

a) What is the biotic potential of the population?

b) How will the population evolve?

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 a) -0.025

b) The population will decrease

36. Look at the following graph and answer the questions:

a) What does each line represent?

b) Indentify each stage and explain what is happening.

c) What differences are there between the two lines?

a- They represent the evolution of two populations through time.

b- A: exponential growth and then, stability.

B: growth, exponential growth, stability and decrease.

c- A is better adapted and there is competition.

Community dynamics

37. What type of reproductive strategy do the first colonisers in a

primary succession have? What is their survival curve like?
(imagen página 40, ejercicio 31).
Organisms that don't need nutrients appear and enrich the soil and
herbaceous plants start to grow. They are R-strategists.
The survival curve is type III
38. How does biodiversity vary during primary succession? How
does biodiversity vary during primary succession? (imagen
página 40, ejercicio 32).
First, plants that don't need many nutrients appear. Later, grater plants
grow and a forest is created. (Biodiversity increases as time passes)

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 At the beginning, there are more R-strategists and at the end, there are
more k-strategists. (During the first stages, there are more generalist
species and then, more specialist species).
39. Look at the diagrams and identify the type of succession that
has taken place. Which stage shows more biodiversity? And
more biomass? (imagen página 41, ejercicio 33)

A secondary succession.
There are more biodiversity and biomass in stage III,
40. What factors can cause a secondary succession?
A secondary succession takes place in ecosystems that have suffered a
regression and important part of its population has been lost but the
soil still has nutrients, spores and seeds.
41. Which type of succession will take place in the following
environments?
a) An abandoned crop

b) A mudflow

c) An area covered in volcanic ash

a- Secondary
b- Secondary
c- Primary
42. Why are secondary successions faster than primary
successions?
Because populations living in a secondary succession do not have to
colonise a virgin territory. They start with soil that has nutrients, spores
and seeds.
43. Why are lichens the first colonisers on rocks? Complete the
following statements.
Formed by algae and fungus fungus surviving with very few
nutrients
products of the lichens' metabolism algae

This is because lichens are symbiotic organisms

(........................................) capable of ..................................... .
The ...............................carry out the photosynthesis which benefits
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 the ....................., which in turn stops the algae from drying up.
The ................................................... break up the rock the live on,
allowing other plants to take root.

Formed by algae and fungus, surviving with very few nutrients, algae,
fungus, products of the lichens' metabolism.
44. Say if the following statements are true or false.
a) Ecological succession is a slow process.
b) The number of species stays the same during a succession; however
the number of individuals varies.
c) The climax stage is the most productive.

a- True.
b- False. Generalists species are replaced by others that are better
adapted
c- False. Equilibrium with environment is reached in the final stages
(climax stage) where there are not important changes.

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