Chapter 15

Question 1

Biodiversity

Answer 1

the entire diversity of living organisms in an area

Question 2

Extinction

Answer 2

the complete loss of a species

Question 3

Mass Extinctions

Answer 3

• loss of species that is rapid, global in scale, and affects a wide variety of organisms
• history of life on earth has been punctuated with five

Question 4

Habitat

Answer 4

is the place where a particular species lives and obtains resources for survival

Question 5

Species Area Curve

Answer 5

measures the relationship between the size of a natural area and the number of species it can support

Question 6

Producers

Answer 6

organism that produces carbohydrates from inorganic carbon, typically via photosynthesis

Question 7

Primary Consumers

Answer 7

organism that eats plants

Question 8

Secondary Consumers

Answer 8

animals that eat primary consumers; predators

Question 9

Introduced Species

Answer 9

non-native species introduced to a new area either purposely or accidentally by human activity

Question 10

Coevolution

Answer 10

occurs when change in one biological species triggers a change in an associated species

Question 11

Eutrophication

Answer 11

is the excess growth of bacteria that depletes oxygen from the water

Question 12

Food Web

Answer 12

• species interact with one another and their environment in complex ways
• not just a simple food chain

Question 13

Mutualism

Answer 13

relationship in which both species benefit from their interaction

Question 14

Commensalism

Answer 14

is a relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 15

Predator

Answer 15

species that survives by eating other species

Question 16

Decomposers

Answer 16

return nutrients back in to the soil for use by plants

Question 17

Genetic Variability

Answer 17

is the sum of all of the alleles and their distribution within the species

Question 18

Inbreeding Depression

Answer 18

a decline in heterzygotes