Question

Bacteria and fungi are found in all ecosystems on Earth. A scientist claims that fungi are keystone species in a particular terrestrial ecosystem. To test this hypothesis, the scientist divides an area within the ecosystem into multiple small plots of similar size. Equal numbers of plots are then randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Plots in the first group are sprayed with a water-soluble substance that selectively kills fungi. Plots in the second group are sprayed with a water-soluble substance that selectively kills bacteria. Plots in the third group are sprayed with the same volume of water only. After a certain period of time, the scientist then measures the amount of accessible nutrients in the soil in cach plot.
(a) Describe ONE common role of both bacteria and fungi in the movement of energy and matter in ecosystems.
(b) Describe how analyzing the data from the treatment group sprayed with water only will increase the validity of the experimental results.
(c) Based on the scientist's claim, predict which treatment group will have the smallest amount of accessible nutrients in the soil at the end of the experiment. Justify your prediction in terms of the relative impact of a keystone species in the environment.

Answer 1

Answer:

a. microorganism and fungi each putrefies deceased and rotting bodies and therefore transferring energy into the earth. It spoils deceased plants and creatures into biological nutrients like nitrogen and carbon that are free back to scheme.

b. A keystone kind may be a species that features a excessively giant impact on its natural atmosphere comparative to its profusion. After we analyses the information from the action teams, we are able to notice that the fungi are bedrock species as a result of it origins a lot of putrefaction and transmission of energy and material than the microorganism.

c. the primary cluster scattered with a water-soluble material that by selection kills microorganism can have the tiniest quantity of available nutrients within the soil at the tip of the experiment. this is often as a result of the fungi are the bedrock species associated to microorganism and it'll have a bigger impact on the scheme than the microbes. The fungi can decompose over the microorganism despite the actual fact that it's less in variety or amount. The relative influence of fungi is extraordinary within the scheme.