Ecology

Question 1

Define ecology

Answer 1

The study of interactions that take place among organisms and their environment.

Question 2

What is an organism?

Answer 2

One individual that belongs to a certain species.

Question 3

What is a population?

Answer 3

All the organisms that belong to the same species living in a community.

Question 4

Define community

Answer 4

All the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem.

Question 5

Definition of ecosystem

Answer 5

All the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment

Question 6

Define climax community

Answer 6

The stable, end stage of ecological succession is when the plants and animals of a community use resources efficiently and balance is maintained by disturbances such as a fire, volcano, or glacier.
A final stable community, (after either primary (no soil) or secondary succession-soil present)

Question 7

Abiotic

Answer 7

the non-living physical features of the environment, including air, water,sunlight, soil (rocks), temperature, and climate. The pre-fix A means not (living).

Question 8

Biotic

Answer 8

features of the environment that are alive or were once alive. The prefix bio means life.

Question 9

Succession

Answer 9

A natural, gradual change in the type of species that live in an area. Succession can be primary or secondary.

Question 10

Climate

Answer 10

Average weather conditions of an area over time, including wind, temperature, and rainfall or other types of precipitation such as snow or sleet.

Question 11

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Answer 11

WE LIVE IN THIS BIOME! We usually have 4 distinct seasons with climax communities of deciduous trees (leaves fall off the branches).

Question 12

Secondary Succession

Answer 12

A process started by an event such as a fire, glacial movement, a volcano erupting, hurricane, etc., which reduces an already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species.

Question 13

Primary Succession

Answer 13

A process in which there is uninhabited (no one lives there) barren, no soil, habitat or that occurs where there is no habitat or vegetation.

Question 14

Pioneer Species

Answer 14

a group of hardy organisms, such as lichens, found in the primary stage of succession and that begin an area’s soil-building process.

Question 15

Limiting Factors

Answer 15

Anything that restricts the size of the population, including living and nonliving features of an ecosystem, such as predators or drought.

Question 16

Predator

Answer 16

Consumers that capture and eat other consumers.

Question 17

Prey

Answer 17

The organism that is captured by the predator.

Question 18

Energy pyramid

Answer 18

A model that shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level in an ecosystem.

Question 19

Soil

Answer 19

mixture of mineral and rock particles and also the remains of dead organisms, air, and water that forms the topmost layer of the Earth’s crust and supports plant growth.

Question 20

Soil pH

Answer 20

The measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Most plants grow between the 5.5-7 range of soil. If the soil is less than seven, then the soil is acidic. If the range is over 7-14, then the soil is base or alkaline.