Ecology Flashcards
What is a biotic feature? Example?
any living thing
What is an abiotic feature? Example?
any non-living thing
What are the levels of biological organization?
Individual –> Population –> Community –> Ecosystem –> Biome –> Biosphere
Who divided biotic organisms to plants + animals (philosopher)?
Aristotle
What is a genus?
A group of species that are related
What is a species (2)?
a smaller more limited group within a genus; group of individuals that can successfully reproduce
What are the 6 Kingdoms?
Animal, Plants, Fungi, Protist, Bacteria, Archaea
What are the more specific classifications within each kingdom (8)?
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
What is a biological community?
all the populations in a given area
Ex. park, forest, ocean
What is a habitat?
a specific place where species/animal live
What is the difference between learning and adaptations? Examples?
Learning: gaining knowledge on how to do something
Adaptations: features you inherit to help you survive in your environment
What makes up an ecosystem?
interactions between biotic and abiotic features
What is sampling? A quadrat equation?
Sampling- estimating by counting individuals in smaller area and x by a larger area
Quadrat: take random areas in large area, count individuals in each area and +, then ÷ total by no. of samples to = average /square, multiply average by total no. of squares= approx. no. of animals in large area.
What is climate?
average weather pattern in a place over a long period of time (In general)
What is weather?
constantly changing
What is a biome?
group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
What are the 6 biomes (terrestrial)?
Grasslands, Tundra, Taiga, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Tropical Rainforest, Desert
The taiga is also known as?
Boreal Forest, Coniferous forest
What is permafrost?
ground stays frozen (just on top)
What is a canopy?
treetops shielding/covering from the sky
What does arid mean?
little to no rain
What is a biosphere?
everyplace on Earth where all living and non-living things interact with each other
What are the 3 parts of the biosphere? Explain each part.
Hydrosphere- water
Atmosphere- Air
Lithosphere- Land
What is succession? Examples?
gradual process where certain species take over and replace original ones
Organisms come first in succession True or False
If no, what happens first?
False, Lichens grows and breaks down rocks
What happens if non-native species are introduced? Example?
native species may not have enough food and next line of succession dies out
Ex. Zebra Mussels
What happens if succession occurs too quickly? Example?
some organisms may overtake and force them to go extinct
Ex. dodo birds
What is the difference between Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration?
Photosynthesis: plants
Cellular Respiration: humans and animals
What is the formula for photosynthesis?
water + carbon dioxide +(sunlight) = glucose + oxygen
What is the formula for cellular respiration?
glucose + oxygen = water + carbon dioxide = (ATP Energy)
What is a food chain? 3 examples.
shows how energy is passed from one organism to another
What is a food web? Example if wanted.
more accurate than food chain, shows how animals interact(predator, prey)
What is a producer vs consumer? Examples?
Producer: produces food
Consumers: consumes food made by producers
What is the difference between a herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore? Examples of each?
herbivore: eats plants
carnivore: eats meat
omnivore: eats both, eats anything
What is a predator vs prey? Example?
predator- hunts for food
prey- is the food
What is a scavenger? Example?
eats dead or decaying food
What is a decomposer? Example?
breaks down dead material and recycles back into ecosystem
What is a niche?
the role an animal plays in an ecosystem
What are some animals who have more than one niche?
seagulls- scavenger (dead organisms on shore) and carnivore (fresh fish)
snails- scavenger (dead fish) and herbivore (plants and algae)
What is an energy flow?
movement of energy
What is an energy pyramid? What is the energy used for?
show show energy is transfered; energy is used for many things
What is a pyramid of numbers?
shows how much of each animal/ energy is needed to sustain the other
What is biomass? Does it decrease or increase as you go higher in levels?
total mass of all organisms in ecosystem
decreases as you go up
What is an autotroph vs heterotroph?
autotroph: produces food
heterotroph: can’t produce own food
What is symbiosis?
two species living closely together in relationship that lasts over time
What are the 3 types of symbiosis? Examples of each?
Parasitism, Mutualism, Commensalism
Which is the symbiosis where both benefit?
Mutualism
Which is the symbiosis where one benefits and the other isn’t affected?
Commensalism
