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Science 7 Cards > 7A: Interactions & Ecosystems > Flashcards

7A: Interactions & Ecosystems Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Any place on Earth where living things interact with other living and non-living things is known as a __________.

A

Ecosystem.

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2
Q

What are some different types of ecosystems?

A
  • Schoolyard
  • Puddle
  • Rotting Log
  • Arctic Tudra
  • Rainforest
  • Ocean
  • Desert
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3
Q

What is the difference between the terms biotic and abiotic?

A

Biotic means living.

Abiotic means nonliving.

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4
Q

What is biotic? Provide an example.

A

Biotic means living, an example of biotic would be a clownfish because it’s made up of cells and it’s hilarious.

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5
Q

List four biotic factors.

A

Whale

Leopard

Venus Fly Trap

Mr. Foisy

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6
Q

What do all biotic factors need?

A

Living things need:

  • Water
  • Food
  • Energy
  • Oxygen
  • Ideal Temperture Range
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7
Q

Why is a rock considered abiotic?

A

A rock is not considered living because it is not made up of cells. It also does not need to meet the same basic needs as a living organism.

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8
Q

What is an example of an abiotic and biotic organism?

A

Biotic- tree, squirrel, tiger, bacteria

Abiotic- rock, hammer, glass, sand

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9
Q

Name four abiotic factors on our planet.

A

Rock, glass, sand, broom.

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10
Q

What are nutrients and what do you need them for?

A

Nutrients are a component of food that supplies energy or building material to a living thing. You need nutrients because they help allow your cells to function properly.

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11
Q

How can you tell if something is part of a species?

A

Living things that are part of the same species are able to reproduce and have young that are able to reproduce.

  • Their young also look very similar to their parents.
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12
Q

What is a population?

A

A population refers to a number of the same species living together in the same area.

  • For example all of the ants in a single ant hill form a population because they live in the same area and are the same species.
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13
Q

What is a community? How is it different from an ecosystem?

A

A community refers to all of the populations and species that live together and interact with other living things.

-It is different from an ecosystem because it doesn’t include the interaction of non-living things.

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14
Q

What is symbiosis?

A

When different living things live close together and interact with one another. It is often a relationship where one organism or more will benefit.

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15
Q

What are the 3 main types of symbiotic relationships?

A
  1. Commensalism
  2. Parasitism
  3. Mutualism
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16
Q

What is commensalism? Can you provide an example?

A

The relationship where one species benefits and the other species neither benifits nor harmed.

+/n

Examples:

  • Orchid: live on a tree to recieve ample sunlight and nutrients while the tree remains unaffected.
  • Pilot fish/remora: Latch on to larger fish/sharks for transportation and protection from predators.
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17
Q

What is mutualism? Provide at least one example.

A

A mutual relationship is when both organisms benefit off of each other.

+/+

Examples:

  • Snapping shrimp builds a burrow and allows the goby fish to share the burrow. The shrimp is almost blind so it always feels the goby fish and the goby fish warns the shrimp of danger.
  • Clownfish live in the anemones/coral receiving protection/shelter while the clownfish clean up the anemones while they swim around. (Finding Nemo)
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18
Q

What is parasitism? Provide an example.

A

Parasitism is when one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed.

+/-

Example:

  • Mosquito sucking the blood of a human and leaving an itchy lump.
  • A tick biting a dog and planting its eggs inside.
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19
Q

Define: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

A

Commensalism- When one organism benefits and one remains unaffected.

Mutualism- Is when two organisms benifit off each other.

Parasitism- When one benefits and the other is negatively affected.

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20
Q

What type of symbiotic relationship would humans and trees be an example of. Why?

A

It would be an example of mutual because both living organisms benefit. Humans give off C02 that the plants use for photosynthesis. In response Oxygen is given off by plants which is neccesary for human life.

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21
Q

Barnacles will attach to whales or mollusk shells in order to travel where food is available. The larger organism remains unaffected. What type of symbiotic relationship is present?

A

Commensalism

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22
Q

What is an adaptation?

A

Adaptation means a change in an organism that makes it suited to a particular environment. It is basically a specific structure or behavior that helps the organism survive.

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23
Q

What are two main types of adaptations that organisms may have?

A

Structural: a physical trait that helps the organism survive such as gills, webbed feat, camouflage, etc.

Behavioural: a natural instinct or trait that aids in an organisms survival such as hibernation, mirgrating, stalking, etc.

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24
Q

What is a consumer?

A

A consumer is any organism that has to seek out, eat, or consume other living things for food. According to this definition we are consumers.

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25
Q

What are three basic types of consumers?

A

Herbivores

Omnivores

Carnivores

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26
Q

Explain the difference between: herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. Provide an example of each type of consumer.

A
  • Herbivore: mainly eats plants and plant-like living organisms. Examples of herbivores include moose, elephants, grasshoppers, and deer.
  • Omnivore: any orgranism that consumes other animals and plants. Examples of omnivores include humans, racoons, and bears.
  • Carnivore: any organism that consume mainly other consumers. For example, felines, hyenas, sharks, and even praying mantises are considered carnivores.
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27
Q

What are two unique types of consumers. (Exclude carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores).

A

Scavengers & Decomposers

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28
Q

Why are scavengers considered a unique consumer? What are some examples of scavengers?

A

Scavengers usually do not kill for their own food. Instead they feed off the remains of living things that are killed by other consumers.

Examples: crows, ravens, hyenas, housefly larvae, vultures, etc.

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29
Q

What are decomposers? Can you provide an example of a decomposer? Why are they vital to an ecosystem?

A

Decomposers are consumers that breakdown(decompose) dead plants and animals. Examples of decomposers include fungi, mould, and earthworms.

They are vital to an ecosystem because they recycle all the dead and decaying waste.

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30
Q

Helpful or harmful decomposer?

Baker’s yeast:

Single-celled decomposers. They feed on sugars that are naturally present in foods such as grains and fruits. The carbon dioxide that they emit, or give off, is a by-product that bakers count on to make breads and pastries rise.

A

Helpful

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31
Q

Helpful or harmful decomposer?

E. coli:
Bacteria found in your large intestine. They break down nutrients in the food you eat for their own food.\ In the process, they manufacture several vitamins that your body needs to stay healthy.

A

Helpful

32
Q

Helpful or harmful decomposer?

Candida albicans:

a kind of yeast found in the moist mucus or mucus-producing areas of your body, such as your throat and mouth. When the body’s immune system is weak, these decomposers can grow and reproduce rapidly. This results in a disease called thrush. It is characterized by raised white spots, usually on the tongue or inner cheeks of the mouth.

A

Harmful

33
Q

Helpful or harmful decomposer?

E. coli bacteria 0157-H7:

a form of E.coli sometimes found in common food products such as ground beef, milk, and apple juice. When these decomposers break down food, they produce highly toxic chemicals that can cause food poisoning.

A

Harmful

34
Q

Helpful or harmful decomposer?

Nitrogen-fixing nodules:

Round swellings on the roots of some plants that are home to millions of bacteria. The bacteria make nitrogen available to the plant, and in return, the bacteria get their nutrients from the plant.

A

Helpful

Mutual Relationship

35
Q

Consumers depend on producers. What is a producer and why are they so important.

A

A producer can do something a consumer cannot. Producers are special because they can create their own food/energy to sustain their own life.

  • Producers create their own food through a process known as photosynthesis.
36
Q

What are 4 ways that plants use their roots and leaves during photosynthesis?

A
  1. Roots take in water and minerals from the soil.
  2. Leaves take in Carbon Dioxide from the air.
  3. The leaves use chlorophyll to absorb the sunlight
  4. Leaves produce food for the plant and give off oxygen into the surrounding environment.
37
Q

How could someone write the process of photosynthesis as a word equation?

(____ +______+_____=_____+_______)

A

Photosynthesis Formula

Sun/Light Energy + CO2 + Water = Food + Oxygen

38
Q

How could someone write the process of cellular respiration as a word equation?

(____ +______+_____=_____+_______)

A

Cellular Respiration Process

Food(Glucose) + Oxygen = CO2 + Water + Energy

39
Q

The process of photosynthesis is important to your life for two main reasons.

A
  1. Converts the suns energy into chemical energy that plants store in the form of sugars/starches. Your body can use this stored energy when you consume the plant.
  2. Photosynthesis provides oxygen in the air you breathe. Without this we would ALL DIE….
40
Q

What is cellular respiration? Living organisms such as consumers use cellular respiration.

A

Cellular respiration is the process of breaking sugar into a form that the cell can use as energy.

Fun Fact: Warm blooded animals use the energy from food to create heat to keep their blood warm. This is why warm blooded animals need to eat more frequently than cold blooded animals.

41
Q

What is a food chain? What does the direction of the arrows represent?

A

A food chain is a convenient way to show how energy moves among living things in an ecosystem.

The arrows represent the direction that energy is flowing throughout the system.

  • It is important to note that consumers will expel/use energy by using food energy to produce heat and waste.
42
Q

True or False?

Larger animals are higher on the food chain.

A

False. Larger animals are not necessarily higher on the food chain. For example. herbivores, which are primary consumers, include small animals such as grasshoppers, and large animals such as elephants.

43
Q

What is a food web?

A

A food web is a series of interconnected food chains that also includes the related abiotic and biotic facotrs such as water, humans, etc.

44
Q

What are two main cycles that occur in an ecosystem?

A
  1. The Water Cycle
  2. The Carbon Cycle
45
Q

What are the 5 main phases of the water cycle?

A
  1. Evaporation
  2. Condensation
  3. Precipitation
  4. Acccumulation/Runoff
  5. Transpiration
46
Q

How can a quadrat be used to estimate the distrbution of living organisms in a designated area?

A

A quadrat provides a sample test/study to investigate types and frequency of organisms within a predetermined area.

Based on the initial investigation you could estimate the quantity of species, populations, and even communities within a given area.

Two types of quadrats are opened and gridded.

47
Q

True or False?

Decline in dragonfly population in wetlands, can be an early warning sign for pollution.

A

True.

If the dragonflies at a pond disappear, then other pond plants and animals will soon follow if the pond isn’t cleaned up.

48
Q

What is an invasive species?

A

An invasive species is an organism that is not native to a specific location. When it is introduced it has a tendency to adapt quickly, increase in population, spread disease, and damage an existing ecosystem.

49
Q

What is bioinvasion?

A

The rapid expansion of a species into regions where it had not previously existed, often as a result of human agency and error.

50
Q

What is an example of bioinvasion in Canada?

A
  1. Zebra mussels were first noticed in the Great Lakes in 1988. They were introuduced by people failing to clean their boats. By 1994, there were as many as 50 000 mussels/m2 in some rivers near the Great Lakes.
51
Q

What is scientifically meant by the term competition?

A

All living things compete with each other for resources like food, water, and space to live. Because there is only so much of each resource, all living things are always trying to get enough of these resources to meet their needs.

Competition can be within one species, between different species, or even other populations.

52
Q

What is predation? What is an example?

A

Predation occurs when an animal hunts other animals for food.

An example of this is the lynx hunting snowshoe hares.

53
Q

What is the difference between a predator and a prey?

A

Predator does the hunting

Prey is the organism that is being hunted.

54
Q

What is an apex predator?

A

An apex predator would be a consumer that is located at the very top of a food chain. The only organism that affects an apex predator would be a decomposer. (assuming we omit human interaction).

55
Q

What is a primary consumer?

A

Primary consumers are usually herbivores, feeding on plants and fungus. (producers/decomposers)

56
Q

What is a secondary consumer?

A

Secondary consumers, on the other hand, are mainly carnivores, and prey on other animals.

Omnivores, who feed on both plants and animals, can also be considered a secondary consumer.

57
Q

The interactions of predators and their prey can affect an ecosystem. What will cause the population of the prey to decrease?

A

If there are too many predators.

58
Q

What is a potential consequence of an ecosystem having too few predators? How would this influence the competition between each species?

A

If there are too few predators, then the prey population may increase.

This would decrease the competition for food by the predators and it would transversly increase the competition for food among prey species, so that one or more will either die out or move to a new location.

59
Q

What is meant by the term succession?

A

Succession refers to a predictable pattern of change in an ecosystem. It usually focuses on the changing patterns of species and organisms that live in a specific area.

60
Q

What are the two types of succession?

A
  1. Primary succession
  2. Secondary succession
61
Q

Primary Succession

A

Primary succession occurs in areas where no life exists due to an absence of soil. It involves the introduction of a pioneer species.

62
Q

Where might primary succession be likely to occur?

A

Common areas of primary succession include volcanic islands, lava flows, and rock left behind by retreating glaciers.

  • Usually lichen is one of the pioneer species of primary succession.
63
Q

What is secondary succession?

A

Secondary succession occurs when a community has been destroyed or disturbed by natural occurrences or human activities.

Secondary succession is different from primary succession, because in secondary succession, these habitats previously supported life.

64
Q

Where might secondary succession occur?

A

A farmer’s field, a vacant lot in the city, a newly forested area, even a strip mine, are examples of where this type of succession occurs. (a place where life existed once)

Example: When a corn field is left alone, weeds are the first to grow.

65
Q

What is a pioneer species?

A

Pioneer species are resilient species that are the first to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems. They are the first to arrive to an ecosystem and they pave the way for the introduction of many other organisms.

66
Q

True or False?

In the process of succession, communities will grow and replace one another until a climax community forms.

A

True.

67
Q

What is a climax community?

A

A climax community is a stable community of a diverse number of species that is not easily replaced by other communities.

  • Unless disturbed by natural or human forces, a climax community can exist for many years.
68
Q

True or False?

Human activities increase the rate of extinction because the environment is changed to quickly for organisms to adapt.

A

True.

69
Q

Explain the difference between the following terms.

  • Extinct
  • Endangered
  • Threatened
  • Extirpated
A
  • Extinction: a species no longer exists anywhere on Earth.
  • Endangered: organisms that are so rare that they are in serious danger of becoming extinct.
  • Threatened: are species whose numbers are declining.
  • Extirpated: a localized extinction of an organism in a specific area. They may still be found in other areas on earth.
70
Q

What is an example of a negative human impact on an ecosystem?

A

An example of humans negatively affecting an ecosystem would be when plastic is left around and gets stuck on organisms necks. It affects the animals because the animals can die from the plastic strangling them.

71
Q

Extinction is a natural part of the planet’s history. But in the past three hundred years or so, human activities such as____________________________________________________________________________ have greatly increased the rate of extinction.

A
  • hunting
  • bioinvasion
  • farming
  • building cities
  • deforestation
  • industrialization
72
Q

What is an ecological footprint?

A

The impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.

73
Q

What are the various trophic levels?

A

Trophic Level = Position on a food chain based on how an organism gets energy.

74
Q

What is a niche?

A

A niche refers to an organisms role in an ecosystem.

For example: carnivore, predator, scavenger, pollinator, etc.

75
Q

What is a trophic cascade?

A

A change at the top of the food chain that tumbles all the way down to the bottom of the food chains.

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