Chapter 13: Principals of Ecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

The study of the interactions among living things, and between living things and their surroundings

Question 2

Community

Answer 2

Group of different species that live together in one area
Ex: frogs, turtles, plants, and fish

Question 3

Ecosystem

Answer 3

All living organisms (biotic) plus nonliving (abiotic)
Ex: frogs, turtles, plants, fish, rocks, mud, and water

Question 4

Biome

Answer 4

A major regional or global community of organisms;
characterized by climate and plant communities
Ex: temperate deciduous forest (wetlands)

Question 5

Biotic

Answer 5

Living things
- Plants, animals, fungi, bacteria

Question 6

Abiotic

Answer 6

Nonliving things
- Moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, soil

Question 7

Biodiversity

Answer 7

The assortment/variety of living things in an ecosystem

Question 8

Keystone species

Answer 8

A species that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem

Question 9

Producer

Answer 9

Make their own food
- Get energy from nonliving resources (sunlight, carbon, chemicals, etc.)

Question 10

Autotroph

Answer 10

Another word for producer

Question 11

Consumer

Answer 11

• Get their energy from eating other living resources (plants, animals, decaying
  material)

Question 12

Heterotroph

Answer 12

Another word form Consumer

Question 13

Chemosynthesis

Answer 13

Chemicals are used to make food

Question 14

Biomass

Answer 14

Measure of the total dry mass of organisms in a given area

Question 15

Energy Pyramid

Answer 15

Diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other tropic levels
- Other models can show the biomass or distribution of organisms

Question 16

Hydrologic Cycle

Answer 16

The continuous circulation of water in the Earth-Atmosphere system.
- The motion of the water from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.

Question 17

Biogeochemical Cycle

Answer 17

Any of the natural pathways by which essential elements of living matter are circulated
- The consideration of the biological, geological, and chemical aspects of each cycle. rotting leaves.

Question 18

Nitrogen Fixation

Answer 18

The process by which nitrogen is taken from its molecular form (N2) in the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds useful for other biochemical processes

Question 19

What are the main levels of organization?

Answer 19

Organism (ex: frog)
Population (ex: group of frogs in one pond)
Community (ex: frogs, turtles, plants, and fish)
Ecosystem (ex: frogs, turtles, plants, fish, rocks, mud, and water)
Biome (ex: temperate deciduous forest (wetlands))
Biosphere (ex: the planet)

Question 20

What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?

Answer 20

Biotic factors are living things
Abiotic factors are nonliving things

Question 21

What is the difference between producers and consumers?

Answer 21

Producers make get their own food from nonliving resources
Consumers get their food from living resources

Question 22

What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?

Answer 22

Food chain is a sequence that links species by their feeding relationships
Food web is a model that shows shows complex network of feeding relationships and the flow of energy within an ecosystem

Question 23

What are the main type of consumers?

Answer 23

Herbivores (eat plants)
Carnivores (eat meat only)
Omnivores (eat both plants and meat)
Detritivores (eat dead matter)
Decomposers (breakdown organic matter into simple compounds)

Question 24

How does energy travel through an ecosystem?

Answer 24

Energy is transferred between organisms in food webs from producers to consumers

Question 25

How much energy is lost as it travels up the energy pyramid?

Answer 25

as heat or waste
Can lose up to 90% each time it’s transferred

Question 26

How does matter travel through an ecosystem?

Answer 26

Can be traced from organism to organism
(Plants use energy from the Sun to change air and water into matter needed for growth. Animals and decomposers consume matter for their life functions, continuing the cycling of matter)

Question 27

Parasitism

Answer 27

One benefits one is harmed

Question 28

Comensalism

Answer 28

One Benefits one is neutral

Question 29

Mutualism

Answer 29

They both benefit