Y11 Biology - Corals, plate techtonics, biodiversity, & digestive system

• Autotrophs


  Organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
• Heterotrophs


  Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms
• Types of organisms


  • Autotrophs
  • Heterotrophs
  • Consumers
  • Detritivores
  • Saprotrophs
• Consumers


  Organisms that directly feed on other organisms for energy
• Detritivores


  Organisms that consume dead organic matter, such as decaying plants and animals
• Saprotrophs


  Organisms that obtain nutrients from dead organic matter by external digestion and absorption
• Food Chain


  Who eats whom/where the energy goes
• Food Web


  A more complex representation of feeding relationships in an ecosystem, showing multiple interconnected food chains
• Trophic levels in a coral reef food web

  • Primary producers (coral and algae)
  • Primary consumers (herbivorous fish)
  • Secondary consumers (carnivorous fish)
  • Tertiary consumers (top predators)
• Mutualistic symbiotic relationships in coral reefs

  • Corals and zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae)
  • Cleaner shrimp and coral polyps
• Threats to coral reefs

  • Coral bleaching
  • Rising sea levels
  • Increasing concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide
• Coral bleaching


  Corals expel their symbiotic zooxanthellae due to stressors like high water temperatures
• The Earth's structure consists of the core (inner and outer), mantle, and crust
• Lithosphere


  The rigid outermost layer, including the crust and upper mantle
• Asthenosphere


  A partially molten and ductile region beneath the lithosphere
• Continental-continental convergent plate boundaries

  Collision of two continental plates can result in the formation of mountain ranges (e.g., the Himalayas)
• Continental-oceanic convergent boundaries


  Subduction, where the denser oceanic plate is forced beneath the less dense continental plate, leading to volcanic arcs and trenches
• Oceanic-oceanic convergent boundaries


  Subduction, resulting in the formation of island arcs and trenches
• Divergent plate boundaries on continental crusts

  Create rift valleys and can eventually lead to the formation of new ocean basins
• Divergent plate boundaries on oceanic crusts

  Form mid-oceanic ridges, where new crust is continually created through seafloor spreading
• Transform boundaries


  Occur when two plates slide past each other horizontally
• Continental-continental transform boundaries


  Faults are created, often associated with earthquakes
• Major plate boundaries


  • Mid-Atlantic Ridge (divergent boundary)
  • Pacific Ring of Fire (convergent boundary)
  • San Andreas Fault (transform boundary)
• Bathymetric features


  • Continental shelf
  • Continental slope
  • Abyssal plain
  • Mid-oceanic ridge
  • Seamount
  • Island
  • Guyot
  • Trench
• The world's oceans


  • Pacific Ocean
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Indian Ocean
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Southern Ocean
• Major bodies of water

  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Caribbean Sea
  • Gulf of Mexico
• Tricellular model of air movement

  Describes the movement of air in three circulation cells: Hadley cell, Ferrel cell, and Polar cell
• Air rises at the equator
• Digestion


  Mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller molecules
• Absorption


  Process of taking up digested food molecules for transport to the body
• Stomach


  Mixes food with digestive juices, breaks down proteins, and temporarily stores partially digested food
• Small Intestine


  Digests and absorbs nutrients with the help of enzymes, bile, and villi
• Large Intestine


  Absorbs water and electrolytes, houses beneficial bacteria, and forms feces for elimination
• Salivary Glands


  Produce saliva containing enzymes for carbohydrate digestion
• Liver


  Produces bile for fat digestion, detoxifies substances, and performs various metabolic functions
• Gallbladder


  Stores and releases bile to aid in fat digestion
• Pancreas


  Produces digestive enzymes and hormones for carbohydrate, fat, and protein digestion