Ch 2 & 3 -- Ecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

the scientific discipline in which the relationships among living organisms and the interaction the organisms have on their environment are studied

Question 2

Biosphere

Answer 2

the portion of Earth that supports life

Question 3

Biotic Factors

Answer 3

the living factors in an organism’s environment

Question 4

Abiotic Factors

Answer 4

the nonliving factors in an organism’s environment

Question 5

LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION (SMALLEST TO LARGEST)

Answer 5

organism; population; biological community; ecosystem; biome; biosphere

Question 6

Population

Answer 6

individual organisms of a single species that share the same geographic location at the same time

Question 7

Biological Community

Answer 7

a group of interacting populations that occupy the same geographic location at the same time

Question 8

Ecosystem

Answer 8

is a biological community and all the abiotic factors that affect it

Question 9

Biome

Answer 9

a large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities

Question 10

Habitat

Answer 10

an area where an organism lives

Question 11

Niche

Answer 11

the role or position an organism has in it’s environment

Question 12

Predation

Answer 12

the act of one organism pursuing and consuming another organism for food

Question 13

Symbiosis

Answer 13

the close relationship that exists when two or more species live together

Question 14

Mutualism

Answer 14

the relationship between two or more organisms that live closely together and benefit from each other (Ex : Fungi and Algae)

Question 15

Commensalism

Answer 15

a relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is neither helped or harmed (Ex : clownfish and sea anemones)

Question 16

Parasitism

Answer 16

a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of the other organism (Ex : Internal : tapeworms or heart worms, External : fleas or ticks)

Question 17

Autotroph

Answer 17

an organism that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce food

Question 18

Heterotroph

Answer 18

an organism that gets its energy requirements by consuming other organisms (also called CONSUMERS)

Question 19

Herbivore

Answer 19

a heterotroph that eats only plants

Question 20

Carnivore

Answer 20

heterotrophs that prey on other heterotrophs

Question 21

Omnivore

Answer 21

organisms that eat both plants and animals

Question 22

Detritivore

Answer 22

eat fragments of dead matter in an ecosystem, return nutrients to the soil, air, and water where the nutrients can be reused by organisms

Question 23

Trophic Level

Answer 23

each step in a food chain or food web

Question 24

Food Chain

Answer 24

a simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem

Question 25

Food Web

Answer 25

a model representing the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows through a group of organisms

Question 26

Biomass

Answer 26

the total mass of living matter at each trophic level

Question 27

Matter

Answer 27

anything that takes up space and has mass (provides the nutrients needed for organisms to function)

Question 28

Nutrient

Answer 28

a chemical substance that an organism must obtain from its environment to sustain life and undergo life processes

Question 29

Biogeochemical Cycle

Answer 29

the exchange of matter through the biosphere

Question 30

Nitrogen Fixation

Answer 30

the process of capture and conversion of nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants

Question 31

Denitrification

Answer 31

a process where some soil bacteria convert fixed nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas, which returns it to the atmosphere

Question 32

Limiting Factor

Answer 32

any abiotic factor or biotic factor that restricts the numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms

Question 33

Tolerance

Answer 33

the ability of any organism to survive when subjected to abiotic factors or biotic factors

Question 34

Ecological Succession

Answer 34

the change in an ecosystem that happens when one community replaces another as a result of changing abiotic and biotic factors

Question 35

Primary Succession

Answer 35

the establishment of a community in an area of exposed rock that does not have any topsoil

Question 36

Climax Community

Answer 36

the stable, mature community that results when there is little change in the composition of species

Question 37

Secondary Succession

Answer 37

the orderly and predictable change that takes place after a community of organisms has been removed but the soil has remained intact

Question 38

Weather

Answer 38

the condition of the atmosphere at a specific place and time

Question 39

Latitude

Answer 39

the distance of any point on the surface of Earth north or south from the equator

Question 40

Climate

Answer 40

the average weather conditions in an area, including temperature and precipitation

Question 41

Tundra

Answer 41

a treeless biome with a layer of permanently frozen soil below the surface called permafrost

Question 42

Boreal Forest

Answer 42

a broad band of dense evergreen forest extending across North America, Europe, and Asia; also called northern coniferous forest or taiga

Question 43

Temperate Forest

Answer 43

composed mostly of broad-leaved, deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves in autumn)

Question 44

Woodland

Answer 44

found in areas with less annual rainfall than in temperate forests

Question 45

Grassland

Answer 45

has fertile soils that are able to support a thick cover of grasses

Question 46

Desert

Answer 46

any area in which the annual rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of precipitation

Question 47

Tropical Savanna

Answer 47

is characterized by grasses and scattered trees in climates that receive less precipitation than some other tropical areas

Question 48

Tropical Seasonal Forest

Answer 48

during the dry season almost all of the trees drop their leaves to conserve water; also called tropical dry forests

Question 49

Tropical Rain Forest

Answer 49

characterized by warm temperatures and large amounts of rainfall throughout the year; most diverse of all land biomes

Question 50

Sediment

Answer 50

material that is deposited by wind, water, or glaciers

Question 51

Littoral Zone

Answer 51

the area closest to the shore; water in this zone is shallow, which allows sunlight to reach the bottom; many producers and consumers inhibit this zone

Question 52

Limnetic Zone

Answer 52

the open water area that is well lit and is dominated by plankton

Question 53

Plankton

Answer 53

free-floating photosynthetic autotrophs that live in freshwater or marine ecosystems

Question 54

Profundal Zone

Answer 54

the deepest areas of a large lake; little light is able to penetrate through the limnetic zone into this zone; colder and has less oxygen than the other two zones; very little species diversity

Question 55

Wetlands

Answer 55

areas of land such as marshes, swamps, and bogs that are saturated with water and that support aquatic plants

Question 56

Estuary

Answer 56

an ecosystem that is formed where freshwater from a river or stream merges with salt water from the ocean

Question 57

Intertidal Zone

Answer 57

a narrow band where the ocean meets the land

Question 58

Photic Zone

Answer 58

area to a depth of about 200m of the pelagic zone; also called the euphotic zone; shallow enough that light is able to penetrate

Question 59

Aphotic Zone

Answer 59

below the photic zone; light is unable to penetrate; constant darkness; generally cold

Question 60

Benthic Zone

Answer 60

the area along the ocean floor that consists of sand, silt, and dead organisms

Question 61

Abyssal Zone

Answer 61

deepest region of the ocean; water is very cold;