Chapter 4 Flashcards
Ecosystem
All of the organisms living in an area together with their physical abiotic environment.
Does not have clear boundaries
All things are connected-energy from the sun
Things move from one ecosystem to another
Ex: pollen (blow from a forest into a field)
Soil (can wash from a mountain into a lake)
Birds (migrate from state to state)
Components of the ecosystem
Energy, mineral nutrients, water, oxygen, and living organisms
Most of the energy of an ecosystem comes from the sun
All things are connected; if one part is destroyed/changes the entire system will be affected
Biotic factors
Environmental factors that associate or result from the activity of living organisms which Include plants, animals, Dead organisms and waste product of organisms
Abiotic factors
Environmental factors that are not associated with the activity of living things Which are Air, water, rocks, sand, light, and temp
Organisms
Living things that carry out life independently
Every organism is a member of a species
Species
A group of organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring
Populations
A group of the same species in the same place
Usually breed with each other and not other populations
Communities
A group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other. Made up of different populations
Only biotic components.
Habitat
The place where an organism lives.
Includes abiotic and biotic factors that the organisms that lives there needs to survive.
Evolution by natural selection
Charles Darwin observed that organisms in a population differ slightly from each other In form, function, and behavior
Environment exerts a strong influence over which individuals survive to produce offspring and because of their different traits and genetic characteristics they are more likely to survive and reproduce
Natural selection
Is the process by which individuals that have favorable variations and are better adapted to their environment survival and reproduce more successfully than less adapted individuals do
Adaptation
Process of becoming adapted to the environment increasing your chance of survival
(Inherited)
Evolution
Is a change in the characteristics of a population from one generation to the next
Coevoulution
Two species evolving in response to long term interactions with each other
Mutualistic Coevoulution
Both organisms benefit from each other
Comparative coevoulution
One organism evolves and has a negative effect on another organism
Resistance
The ability of an organism to tolerate a chemical or disease causing agent
Artificial selection
Selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific characteristics
Ex. Fruit: Farmer save seeds for the largest and sweetest fruits to produce larger and sweeter fruit
Insect resistance
1) insects are sprayed with only a few surviving
2) the survivors pass the trait of survival to their offspring
3) hen the same pesticide is used more and more insects become immune
3 domains
Archaea- unicellular, no nuclei, harsh environment, reproduce by dividing in half
Bacteria- unicellular, no nuclei, cell wall, common, reproduce by dividing and half
Eukarya-uni/multicellular, reproduce sexually and asexually, cells contain nuclei
4 kingdoms
Fungi-live on land mostly, absorb their food through their body surface, have cell walls
Protista- live in water mostly, most are unicellular some multi
Plantae- multicellular, have cell walls, make food by photosynthesis
Animalia- multicellular, no cell wall, ingest food, live on land and water
Archaea
Differ from bacteria in genetics and cell wall makeup
Bacteria
Microscopic unicellular organisms that usually have a cell wall and reproduce by division
Fungus
Organism whose cells have nuclei and cell wall that acts like a mini skeleton allowing fungi to stand up straight.
Mushroom
Break down dead organisms by releasing chemicals into the atmosphere
(Athletes foot)
Bacteria in the environment
Breaks down the remains in waste of other organisms returning the nutrients to the soil
Certain bacteria can convert nitrogen from the air into a form that plants can use which is important because nitrogen is the main component of proteins and genetic material
Ecoli helps break down food in human bodies to help digest
Protists
Unicellular and multicellular organisms including amoebas, animal-like and diatoms, which Float on the oceans surface, others are plantlike, such as Kelp and some fungi
ALGAE- most important. Make their own food using light from the sun, on initial source of food and most ocean and freshwater ecosystems
Plasmodium
Protist that causes malaria
Gymnosperms
Woody plants that produce seeds not in fruits (cones)
Most of our paper
Nonvascular plant
No vascular tissue (moss)
Angiosperms
Flowering plants that produce seeds in plants
Most of the food we eat
Animals
No cell walls (more mobile)
Cannot make their own food
Invertebrates
No backbones (oceans)
Vertebrates
Animals with backbone (reptiles/land)
