Biological Diversity Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a place where living things interact with other living and non-living things. It is a shared environment.
Define population.
Members of the same species. A population could be all the beavers that live in the same area.
Define community.
When different populations live in the same area, the populations form a community. A community could be all the bison, moose and deer that live in the same area.
What are the five kingdoms in the Linnean Classification System?
Animalia, Protista, Plantae, Fungi, Monera.
Identify the different levels that organisms can be classified by.
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Which two levels of organization are used to name new species?
Genus and Species. Genus is always capitalized, species is lowercase, and the name is always written in italics.
What is meant by the term “biological diversity”?
It refers to all the different types of organisms on Earth.
What is commensalism?
When one organism benefit and the other neither benefits or is harmed.
What is parasitism?
When one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
What is mutualism?
When both organisms benefit.
What is symbiosis?
Symbiosis represents the way organisms relate to one another.
What is a niche?
A specific role or job that an organism plays in the ecosystem. A niche can include what it eats and what eats it, its habitat, nesting site or range.
Define structural adaptation.
Structural adaptations are physical features of an organism like the bill on a bird or the blubber of a whale. The adaptation occurs due to function.
What is a behavioural adaptation?
Things that organisms do to survive. For example, migration of geese or hibernation of bears.
What is the difference between an herbivore and a carnivore?
The difference is that an herbivore eats only plants while a carnivore eats only meat from other organisms.
