Chapter 3

Question 1

Ecologists

Answer 1

study the interactions of organisms with one another and their environment

Question 2

Biotic components

Answer 2

are the living components of an environment

Question 3

Abiotic components

Answer 3

are non-living

Question 4

Individual Organisms

Answer 4

This usually involves a study in how the physical appearance (morphology) of an organism can change when abiotic conditions change

Question 5

Populations

Answer 5

a group or individuals of the same species living in a specific area at the same time

Question 6

Communities

Answer 6

the individuals of interacting populations in a given area, affected by competition, predator-prey relationships

Question 7

Ecosystems

Answer 7

a community of populations and the abiotic factors that surround it

• Can be large or small

Question 8

The Biosphere

Answer 8

all the ecosystems in the world and their interactions

• All parts of the earth that are inhabitable by some type of life, extending into the atmosphere and several meters into the soil

Question 9

Niche

Answer 9

Each species has its own “place” in the biosphere

Question 10

Who classified and named organisms?

Answer 10

Aristotle (384-322 BC) placed living things into two categories, called Kingdoms: plants and animals

• Animals were divided based on their size and the way they moved on land, air and water
• Plants were divided into three categories based on the differences in their stems

Question 11

Carolus Linnaeus

Answer 11

divided kingdoms into smaller and smaller groups which led to our current naming system

Question 12

Ernst Haekel

Answer 12

proposed a classification system including micro-organisms

Discoveries after Haekel’s time led to the 6 kingdoms we use to classify now

Question 13

Taxonomy

Answer 13

The practice of classifying living things

The levels of organisms are;
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Question 14

Domain

Answer 14

is the most general of categories
and contains the most organisms

Question 15

Binomial nomenclature

Answer 15

It is used to name organisms. The two-part scientific names include the organism’s genus and species, usually in Latin

Genus is always capitalized
Species is always lower case

Question 16

The three Domains

Answer 16

They are Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya

Question 17

The Six Kingdoms

Answer 17

Archaea, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia

Question 18

Domain Achaea

Answer 18

• Ancient
• Prokaryotes
• Auto and heterotrophs
• No nucleus
• Asexual reproduction
• Unicellular and found in extreme conditions

Ex. Thermophiles and halophiles

Question 19

Domain Bacteria

Answer 19

• Prokaryotes
• No nucleus
• asexual reproduction
• auto and heterotrophs
• unicellular and helps recycle nutrients

Ex. cyanobacteria and
E. coli

Question 20

Domain Eukarya

Answer 20

more complex organisms that all contain cells with a nucleus

Question 21

Fungi

Answer 21

• Has a nucleus
• sexual and asexual reproduction
• heterotrophs and decomposers
• mostly multicellular and cell walls made of chitin

Ex. mold and mushrooms

Question 22

Protista

Answer 22

• Has a nucleus
• mostly asexual reproduction
• auto and heterotrophs
• mostly unicellular and live in water

Ex. algae, amoebas and diatoms

Question 23

Plantae

Answer 23

• Has a nucleus
• sexual and asexual reproduction
• autotrophs
• multicellular with cell walls made of cellulose

Ex. trees, grass, moss

Question 24

Animalia

Answer 24

• Has a nucleus
• mostly sexual reproduction
• heterotrophs
• multicellular with NO cell wall

Ex. fish, birds, reptiles, mammals and insects

Question 25

Dichotomous Key

Answer 25

- (“di” means two, “tom” means to cut) - is a branched or stepped process that can be used to identify organisms - These keys use pairs of descriptions to simplify the identification of an organism

Question 26

Climate

Answer 26

is the average weather conditions in a particular region over a long period of time

Question 27

Abiotic factors

Answer 27

The patterns of distribution of life Ex. Temperature, humidity, salinity, and moisture

Question 28

Biogeographic realm/ecozone

Answer 28

is the broadest biogeographic division of the Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided in ecoregions, which are classified in biomes or habitat types.

Question 29

Habitat

Answer 29

is a place or area within a biome or ecosystem that has a particular set of biotic and abiotic characteristics

Question 30

range

Answer 30

is the geographical area where the organism is found

Question 31

Ecological Niche

Answer 31

is the role that its members play in an ecosystem.

Question 32

Biodiversity

Answer 32

The variety of niches and habitats within an ecosystem allow it to support a diversity of organisms

Question 33

Limiting Factors

Answer 33

any biotic or abiotic element that controls the number of individuals in a population.

Question 34

Biotic limiting factors

Answer 34

include competition, predation, and parasites

Question 35

Abiotic limiting factors

Answer 35

include soil type, moisture/humidity, temperature and space

Question 36

Intraspecific competition

Answer 36

- competition for resources between members of the same species - they have similar adaptations - occurs for all requirements Ex. 2 rabbits fighting for food

Question 37

Interspecific Competition

Answer 37

- competition between different species inhabiting the same ecological area - different adaptations - occurs for specific requirements Ex. Lions and Leopards, Trees and bushes

Question 38

Predation limits population size

Answer 38

- Predation naturally limits the population of prey species - The change in the numbers of prey will affect trophic levels beneath the prey species - Predators that feed on multiple prey types will affect numerous food chain relationships

Question 39

Sampling Populations in Ecosystems

Answer 39

Ecologists estimate the size of a population using samples (small portions of the population)

Question 40

Sampling

Answer 40

Organisms can be sampled using transects or quadrats situated randomly in a sample area. From these samples, the density of a population can be estimated (most suitable for counting plants, slow-moving organisms and some sessile aquatic life)

Question 41

How is the density of a population determined?

Answer 41

by calculating the average number of individuals per quadrat, and then dividing by the size of the quadrat

Question 42

Distribution Patters

Answer 42

- They can affect sampling results Clumped; school of fish Uniform; nesting sites Random; seeds being spread by the wind