ENV Benchmark Review

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What is a negative feedback loop?

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A negative feedback loop is a process in which a system responds to a change by initiating responses that counteract the change, helping to maintain equilibrium. An example is the predator-prey relationship where an increase in prey leads to more predators, which eventually reduces the prey population.

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What is a community in ecological terms?

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A community is a level of organization that includes all the different species living in a specific area, interacting with each other.

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What is a population in ecological terms?

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A population is a level of organization that includes all individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

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What biome is characterized by having all four seasons, moderate rainfall, and supporting many types of trees?

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The Temperate Deciduous Forest biome is characterized by having all four seasons, moderate rainfall, and supporting a variety of trees.

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What are the main processes involved in the nitrogen cycle?

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The main processes of the nitrogen cycle include nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification.

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Define nitrogen fixation.

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Nitrogen fixation is the process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a form that plants can absorb and use, typically ammonia (NH3).

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What is nitrification?

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Nitrification is the biological process in which ammonia is converted into nitrites (NO2-) and then into nitrates (NO3-), which plants can utilize.

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Explain assimilation in the nitrogen cycle.

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Assimilation is the process by which plants and animals incorporate the nitrates and ammonium from the soil into their own tissues.

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What is ammonification?

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Ammonification is the process by which organic nitrogen from dead organisms and waste is converted back into ammonia (NH3) by decomposers.

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Define denitrification.

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Denitrification is the process by which nitrates are reduced to nitrogen gas (N2) and released back into the atmosphere, completing the nitrogen cycle.