Biosphere & Ecology

Question 0

Biosphere

Answer 0

Contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, and air (atmosphere)

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surrounding

Question 2

Species

Answer 2

A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offfspring

Question 3

Population

Answer 3

A group of organisms that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Question 4

Community

Answer 4

Assemblages of different populations that live in a defined area

Question 5

Ecosystem

Answer 5

A collection of organisms that live in a particular place, together with their non-living, or physical environment

Question 6

Biome

Answer 6

A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communites

Question 7

Autotroph

Answer 7

A plant, some algae, or certain bacteria that can capture energy form sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food

Question 8

Producer

Answer 8

Another name for an autotroph: an organism that captures sun or chemical energy and turns it into food

Question 9

Photosynthesis

Answer 9

Process to harness solar energy

Question 10

Chemosynthesis

Answer 10

Process when organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates

Question 11

Heterotroph

Answer 11

Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply

Question 12

Consumer

Answer 12

Another name for heterotrophs

Question 13

Herbivore

Answer 13

Heterotroph that obtains energy by eating only plants

Question 14

Carnivore

Answer 14

Heterotroph that eats animals

Question 15

Omnivore

Answer 15

Heterotroph that eats both plants & animals

Question 16

Detritivore

Answer 16

Heterotroph that feeds on plant & animal remains and other dead matter, collectively called detritus

Question 17

Decomposer

Answer 17

Heterotroph that breaks down organic matter

Question 18

Food Chain

Answer 18

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating or being eaten

Question 19

Food Web

Answer 19

When the feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem form a network of complex interactions: links all food chains in an ecosystem together

Question 20

Trophic Level

Answer 20

Each step in a food chain or web

Question 21

Ecological pyramid

Answer 21

A diagram that shows the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or web

Question 22

Biomass

Answer 22

The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

Question 23

Biotic factor

Answer 23

Biological influences an organism within an ecosystem

Question 24

Abiotic factor

Answer 24

Physical, or non-living, factors that shape ecosystems

Question 25

Habitat

Answer 25

The area where an organism living

Question 26

Niche

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Resource

Answer 27

Refers to any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space

Question 28

Predation

Answer 28

An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism

Question 29

Symbiosis

Answer 29

Any relationship in which two species live together

Question 30

Mutualism

Answer 30

Relationship which both species benefit

Question 31

Commensalism

Answer 31

Relationship which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped or harmed

Question 32

Parasitism

Answer 32

Relationship which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it

Question 33

Ecological succession

Answer 33

The series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time

Question 34

Primary succession

Answer 34

On land, the succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists

Question 35

Pioneer species

Answer 35

The first species to populate the area

Question 36

Secondary succession

Answer 36

When disturbances are over, community interactions that tend to restore the ecosystem in its original condition

Question 37

Population density

Answer 37

The number of individuals per unit area

Question 38

Immigration

Answer 38

The movement of individuals into an area, is another factor that can cause a population to grow

Question 39

Emigration

Answer 39

The movement of individuals out of an area, can cause a population to decrease in size

Question 40

Exponential growth

Answer 40

Occurs when the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate

Question 41

Logistic Growth

Answer 41

Occurs when a population’s growth slows or stops following a period of exponential growth

Question 42

Carrying Capacity

Answer 42

The largest number of individuals that a given environment can support

Question 43

Limiting factor

Answer 43

A factor that causes population growth to decrease

Question 44

Density-dependent Limiting Factor

Answer 44

A living factor that depends on population size

Question 45

Predator-Prey Relationship

Answer 45

The regulation of a population by predation; one of the best known mechanics of population control

Question 46

Density-Independent Limiting Factors

Answer 46

Affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size