10 important definitions

Question 1

define: ECOLOGY

Answer 1

the study of the relationship andinteractions between livingorganisms and their environment

Question 2

define:Organism

Answer 2

an individual living system such as an animal, plant ormicroorganism that is capable of reproduction, growth,and maintenance

Question 3

define:Environment

Answer 3

the physical, chemical and biological conditions of theregion in which the organism lives

Question 4

define:Biosphere

Answer 4

the whole of the region of the Earth’s surface(lithosphere), the sea (hydrosphere), and the air(atmosphere) that is inhabited by living organisms

Question 5

define:Ecosystem

Answer 5

• a unit of the biosphere in which organisms interact witheach other and the non-living environment

Question 6

define: biotic factors

Answer 6

living components of theenvironment- e.g. plants, animals,microorganisms, etc.

Question 7

define: abiotic factors

Answer 7

non-living components ofthe environment- e.g. temperature, sunlight,soil, topography, wind,moisture, minerals, etc.

Question 8

define: niche

Answer 8

the place/role occupied by an organism in its environment

Question 9

define:Producers (Autotrophs)

Answer 9

mostly green plants that can produce their own food usingphotosynthesis- some microorganisms (including bacteria) can also make their ownfood

Question 10

define: Consumers (Heterotrophs)

Answer 10

cannot make their own food, must eat other things- are further classified based on what they eat

Question 11

define: Decomposers & Detrivores

Answer 11

eat dead organic matterreturning basic substances back to the soil

Question 12

define: herbivores

Answer 12

eat only plants- are called primary (1o) consumers- exist at the first trophic level in a food chain, food web orfood pyramid

Question 13

define: carnivores

Answer 13

eat only animal material- are secondary (2o) or tertiary (3o) consumers- exist at the second or the third trophic level in a food chain,food web or food pyramid

Question 14

define: Omnivore

Answer 14

eat only animal material- are secondary (2o) or tertiary (3o) consumers- exist at the second or the third trophic level in a food chain,food web or food pyramid

Question 15

define: food chain-benefeitsproblem

Answer 15

a very simple model ofecosysteminteractionsBenefit: Show whichanimals are present inthe ecosystem andwho’s eating who in a“linear” fashionProblem: Food chainsare usually anoversimplification ofwhat’s happening inthe ecosystem

Question 16

define: food websbenefietproblem

Answer 16

a series of interconnectedfood chainsBenefit: shows morecomplex (and thus morerealistic) interactionsbetween organismsProblem: Don’t shownumerical information ofany kind.

Question 17

define:pyramid of numbers

Answer 17

• shows how many animalsare at each trophic level- numbers usually decreaseat each levelBenefits: Easy to countanimals in the ecosystemProblem: Pyramids ofnumbers treat all animalsequally regardless ofsize differences.!

Question 18

define: pyramid of biomassbenefitproblem

Answer 18

defn: biomass- the mass of dry mattercontained in a group ofliving thingsBenefit: Show the total massof orgainisms at eachtrophic level.Problem: Implies that equalmasses of different foodsprovide the same amountof energy

Question 19

define: pyramid of numbers

Answer 19

show the amount of foodenergy available at eachtrophic level- never inverted - less energyavailable at eachsuccessive level- energy not lost, simplyconverted into otherforms- 90% lost at each level