Ch 13 Flashcards
What term refers to an organism’s “occupation” within the environment?
Niche
What branch of science studies the relationships within an ecosystem?
Ecology
List for important abiotic factors
Radiation from the sun
Temperature
Water
Atmosphere
What is the range of conditions in which an organism can survive?
Tolerance range
List the three major types of bio geochemical cycles.
Hydrologic
Atmosphere
Sedimentary
List as many examples as you can of biotic and avionic factors in either your backyard are your local park.
Schoolyard Tree Plants Grass Moles Snakes Weeds School Nearby field Rain Sun Sprinklers Healthy air Lots of pollen People visiting the park Dogs
The carrying capacity for a bird species depends on the number of months available to eat and the number of foxes trying to prey on it. One year, a disease kills many foxes, but the birds’ carrying capacity does not increase. Why not?
There are probably not enough moths to sustain the bird population.
Name three divisions of the biosphere
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Define climax vegetation
The dominant plant species of a biome
List and define in order from largest to smallest the levels of a biome.
Ecosystem-The environment and all its organisms
Community-all the living things in an ecosystem
Population-all the organisms of one species in an ecosystem
Organism-an individual plant or animal within an ecosystem
What are the three main differences between the Arctic tundra and the Alpine tundra?
Lacks permafrost
Has better water drainage
It is located at higher altitudes
What biome characterizes the Hreat Plains?
Grasslands
Name three divisions of aquatic biomes based on salt content from least to most salty.
Freshwater
Brackish
Salt water
Why would you not expect most leaves to change color in the fall and a boreal forest?
There are more conifers in a boreal forest. Most of them are evergreens which do not change color.
Define Photoautotroph’s and chemoautotroph’s
Photoautotrophs are organisms that make their own food source out of light like plants
Chemoautotrophs are organisms that make their own food out of sulfur or nitrogen like some bacteria
What does an organisms trophic level describe?
A classification that describes its feeding relationships with other organisms
How do you a food chain in a food web different?
A food chain represents one path of prey and predator. A food web shows multiple options and relationships between pray and predator
Define parasitism, symbiosis and neutralism
Predation is where one animal hunts another for food
Symbiosis is where organisms live in close association with another organism. Sometimes species depend on each other for survival
Neutralism is when one organism shares in direct contact with another organism. Lions and savanna grasses are an example because the grass supplies food for the food for the lion
Compare and contrast decomposers and ditritovores
Detritivores eat or consume detritus which are dead and decaying plant and animal matter, but can’t change it into nutrients for the soil (earthworms)
Decomposers are organisms that feed on detritus and break it into nutrients that are returned to the soil (microscopic bacteria/fungi)
