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Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is ecology?

A

the study of relationships btw living organisms and btw organisms and their environment

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2
Q

What is a population?

A

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time

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3
Q

What is a community?

A

a group of populations living and interacting with each other in an area

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4
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

a community and its abiotic environment

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5
Q

What is a habitat?

A

the environment in which a species normally lives

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6
Q

What is a species?

A

a group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

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7
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

the living aspects of the environment

e.g. other organisms (same/diff. species)

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8
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

the non-living aspects of the environment

e.g. sunlight
soil
water
temp.

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9
Q

What is a niche?

A

refers to the ROLE of a SPECIES in its ECOSYSTEM

therefore, includes how species interacts with abiotic factors

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10
Q

What are the 2 important aspects of a species’ niche?

A
  1. food it eats

2. food it obtains

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11
Q

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

A

Two diff. species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place, at the same time

elaborate

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12
Q

What are the different modes of nutrition?

A

autotrophy

  - photoautotroph
  - chemoautotroph

heterotrophy

   - consumers
   - detritivores
   - saprotrophs
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13
Q

What does the mode of nutrition autotrophy mean?

A

self-feeding

organisms synthesise organic molecules from inorganic sources

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14
Q

What does the mode of nutrition photoautotroph mean?

A

photosynthesis

makes organic compounds using energy derived from the sun

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15
Q

What does the mode of nutrition chemoautotroph mean?

A

chemosynthesis

makes organic compounds using energy derived from the oxidation of chemicals

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16
Q

What does the mode of nutrition consumer mean?

A

an animal that feeds on living or recently killed organisms via ingestion

herbivore omnivore carnivore

17
Q

What is the role of decomposers (detritivores & saprotrophs)?

A

unlock stored nutrients in plants & animals

break down body of dead organisms

convert organic matter into usable form for other organisms

recycle nutrients, therefore, major role in formation of soil

18
Q

What are detritivores?

A

type of heterotroph that obtains nutrients from non-living organic sources via internal digestion (e.g. humus & detritus)

e.g. dung beetles, earthworms, woodlice, snails, crabs

19
Q

What are saprotrophs?

A

type of heterotroph that live in or on non-living organic matter, secrete digestive enzymes into it and absorbs the products of digestion externally

e.g. bacteria, fungi, mold

20
Q

What is a food chain?

A

shows the flow of energy through the trophic levels of a feeding relationship

linear flow

3-5 organisms

21
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

feeding position of an organism in food chain

e.g. producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer

22
Q

How can species interact in an ecosystem?

A

competition

- interspecific
- intraspecific

predator-prey

herbivore - plant

symbiotic:
parasitism
mutualism
commensalism

23
Q

What is interspecific competition?

A

competition btw members of DIFFERENT species for the SAME RESOURCE

24
Q

What is intraspecific competition?

A

competition for RESOURCES btw member of the SAME species

25
Q

What is the predator-prey relationship?

A

one species kills and eats another species

predator does killing and eating

prey = food source

26
Q

What is the herbivore-plant relationship?

A

plants cannot run away form herbivores

therefore, some protect themselves wt physical structures (e.g. thorns, spines, stinging hairs) others use chemicals

27
Q

What are symbiotic relationships?

A

symbiotic relationships are those in which the organisms living together depend on each other

parasitism mutualism commensalism

28
Q

What is parasitism?

A

one species (parasite) benefits while the other (host) is harmed

e.g. tick & human

29
Q

What is mutualism?

A

both species that are interacting wt each other benefit

e.g. flower & bee
leopard shark and remora fish

30
Q

What is commensalism?

A

one species benefits while the other is unaffected

e.g. deer and birds

Biology (15 decks)

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