ecology

Question 1

niche

Answer 1

Niche: the role of a species in its environment

Question 2

ecology

Answer 2

Ecology is the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and their physical environment

Question 3

habitat

Answer 3

Habitat: where an organism lives

Question 4

species

Answer 4

Species: organisms with similar DNA that can interbreed (e.g. deer)

Question 5

population

Answer 5

Population: all the individuals of a species that live together in the same place at one time. (e.g. herd of deer)

Question 6

community

Answer 6

Community: all the different populations that live together in the same habitat (e.g. deer and rabbits)

Question 7

ecosystem

Answer 7

Ecosystem: a community and all the physical aspects (abiotic factors) of the habitat (e.g. forest ecosystem: deer, rabbits, stream, trees, rocks, etc.)

Question 8

biome

Answer 8

Biome: major regional or global community of organisms characterized by climate conditions and plant communities that thrive there (e.g. tundra, desert, oceans, grasslands

Question 9

biosphere

Answer 9

Biosphere: the part of the earth’s crust, waters, and atmosphere that supports life

Question 10

abiotic

Answer 10

unliving

Question 11

biotic

Answer 11

living

Question 12

biodiversity

Answer 12

Biodiversity: the number of species living within an ecosystem (the rain forest is more diverse than desert)

Question 13

keystone species

Answer 13

Keystone species: a species that has a disproportionately large effect on the communities in which it occurs

Question 14

primary succession

Answer 14

Primary succession: succession that occurs in a never before inhabited ecosystem (new island)

Question 15

secondary

Answer 15

Secondary succession: succession that occurs when an ecosystem has been destroyed, perhaps by fire, and begins to regrow

Question 16

pioneer species

Answer 16

Pioneer species: first organisms to live in a new habitat. e.g. usually small plants, moss, lichen

Question 17

producers

Answer 17

Producers (autotrophs): convert light into usable chemical energy (food) ex…plants, bacteria, algae

Question 18

cosumers

Answer 18

Consumers (heterotrophs): eat in order to get energy. Ex…animals

Question 19

Chemosynthesis

Answer 19

organisms make carbohydrates using chemicals instead of sunlight Found in deep-sea thermal vents and sulfur-rich marsh flats & hydrothermal pools. Can be basis for thriving ecosystems

Question 20

Abiotic Factors that affect life in the biosphere

Answer 20

Light availability - photosynthesis
Temperature – affects enzymes & cell structure
Water availability – adaptations to conserve water for terrestrial organisms. Aquatic life must deal with solute concentrations.

Question 21

herbivores

Answer 21

plant eaters

Question 22

omnivores

Answer 22

plant and meat eaters

Question 23

carnivores

Answer 23

meat eaters

Question 24

deterivores

Answer 24

energy from dead matter

Question 25

decomposer

Answer 25

type of detrovore that causes organism to decay

Question 26

1st trophic level

Answer 26

always a producer

Question 27

2nd trophic level

Answer 27

primary consumer (herbovore or omnivore)

Question 28

3rd trophic level

Answer 28

secondary consumer (carnavor or omnivore)

Question 29

4th trophic level

Answer 29

tertiary consumer (top consumer)

Question 30

most energy is lost as?

Answer 30

heat

Question 31

competition

Answer 31

Organisms attempt to use a resource in the same place at the same time

Question 32

predation

Answer 32

Predation: one organism (predator) hunts and kills another (prey) for food; ex…hawk & rabbit

Question 33

Symbiotic Relationships

Answer 33

a close and long-term interaction between two organisms.

It always benefits at least one of the 2 organisms, while the other may be harmed, unaffected, or benefit as well.

Question 34

both organisms benefit

Answer 34

Mutualism: both organisms benefit

Question 35

commensillism

Answer 35

Commensalism: one organism benefits while the other is not helped or harmed

Question 36

parasitism

Answer 36

Parasitism: one organism feeds off another organism (one organism helped, other harmed), rarely fatal

Question 37

carbon cycle

Answer 37

Carbon enters the cycle through photosynthesis
Plants use carbon dioxide to make sugar (food)

Question 38

Carbon is returned to the atmosphere by:

Answer 38

Respiration: giving off carbon dioxide
Combustion: burning of fossil fuels
Erosion: the breakdown of limestone rock (made from the calcium carbonate of seashells)
Death and decomposition

Question 39

what do we need carbon for

Answer 39

he flow of carbon throughout the environment. Carbon is essential for all organic compounds – carbohydrates, proteins, fats, nucleic acids.

Question 40

The Nitrogen Cycle mostly takes place

Answer 40

in the soil

Question 41

use nitrogen for

Answer 41

Plants use this nitrogen to make proteins and DNA
Some bacteria convert gaseous nitrogen into ammonia

Question 42

Atmospheric nitrogen

Answer 42

Atmospheric nitrogen released into the soil is transformed into ammonium r

Question 43

Nitrifying bacteria

Answer 43

Nitrifying bacteria change ammonia into nitrates and nitrites (usable forms), so plants can use

Question 44

Phosphorous Cycle

Answer 44

Returns phosphorous to environment. Phosphorous is a limiting factor for plant growth.

Question 45

Disruptions caused by Humans

Answer 45

Habitat Disruption
Pollution
Overpopulation
Introduction of Invasive Species