Biology: Ecology Test

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

Question 2

Biosphere

Answer 2

the highest level of organization that ecologists study

Question 3

Species

Answer 3

group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

Question 5

Community

Answer 5

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

Question 6

Ecosystem

Answer 6

collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their non-living environment

Question 7

Biome

Answer 7

group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities

Question 8

Chemosynthesis

Answer 8

process by which some organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates

Question 9

Detritivore

Answer 9

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

Question 10

Decomposer

Answer 10

organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

Question 11

Food chain

Answer 11

series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Question 12

Food web

Answer 12

network of interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the organisms in an ecosystem

Question 13

Trophic level

Answer 13

step in a food chain or food web

Question 14

Ecological pyramid

Answer 14

diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level

Question 15

Biomass

Answer 15

total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

Question 16

Renewable resource

Answer 16

resource that can regenerate quickly and that is replaceable

Question 17

Nonrenewable resource

Answer 17

resource that cannot be replenished by natural processes

Question 18

Sustainable development

Answer 18

using natural resources at a rate that does not deplete them

Question 19

Desertification

Answer 19

a process that turns productive land into desert

Question 20

Smog

Answer 20

mixture of chemicals that occurs as a gray/brown haze in the atmosphere

Question 21

Pollutant

Answer 21

harmful material that can enter the biosphere through the land, air, or water

Question 22

Acid rain

Answer 22

rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids

Question 23

Nitrogen fixation

Answer 23

the process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia

Question 24

Limiting nutrient

Answer 24

a single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem

Question 25

Algal bloom

Answer 25

increase in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient

Question 26

Greenhouse effect

Answer 26

situation in which heat is retained in earth’s atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases

Question 27

Habitat

Answer 27

the area where an organism lives

Question 28

Niche

Answer 28

range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

Question 29

Predation

Answer 29

interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another

Question 30

Symbiosis

Answer 30

relationship in which two species live closely together

Question 31

Mutualism

Answer 31

symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit

Question 32

Commensalism

Answer 32

symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is not affected

Question 33

Parasitism

Answer 33

symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism and harms it

Question 34

Ecological succession

Answer 34

gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance

Question 35

Primary succession

Answer 35

succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists

Question 36

Pioneer species

Answer 36

first species to populate an area during primary succession

Question 37

Secondary succession

Answer 37

succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

Question 38

Biological magnification

Answer 38

increase in concentration of harmful substances in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or web