Ecology Flashcards
Define ecology
Ecology is the study of living things and how they interact with their environment
Define biosphere
The part of the planet which enhabits life
Define ecosystem
An ecosystem is the group of different species that interact with their environment
Define habitat
A habitat is a place where an organism lives
Define population
A population is all the member of the same species living in an area
Define community
A community is all the different populations in an area
Define abiotic factors
Non living factors
Define biotic factors
Living factors
Define edaphic factors
Edaphic factors relate to the soil
What are producers?
Organisms that provide their own food (photosynthesis)
What are flora and fauna?
Flora = Flowers
Fauna = Animals
What is a trophic level?
A trophic level is a feeding stage in a food chain
Why do food chains usually never exceed 4 organisms?
About 10% of energy from each trophic level is passed on. There is a lot of energy loss
What is a food Web?
A food Web consists of two or more interlinked food chains
Define niche
A niche is a specific role an organism plays within its community
What is nutrient recycling
Nutrient recycling is the way in which elements (nitrogen, carbon) are exchanged between the living and non living components of an ecosystem
Define polution
Pollution is any harmful addition to the environment
What are some roles of micro-organisms In waste management
LANDFILL SITES: Bacteria and fungi in the soil break down the organic materials
SEWAGE:
What are the 3 R’s of waste production?
Reduce, reuse, recycle
What are some factors that control populations
- Competition
- Parasitism
- Predation
- Symbiosis
Define competition
Competition occurs when organisms actively struggle for a resource that is in short supply
Define contest competition
In contest competition, there is an active physical struggle between 2 organisms where only 1 of them get the food
Define scramble competition
In scramble competition, all of the competing individuals get some of the resource
Define predation
Predation is the catching, killing and eating of another organism
What are some adaptations of predators
- Hawks and other birds have excellent sight so they can locate prey
What are some adaptations of prey
- Rabbits have eyes on the side of their head to look out for predators
Define Symbiosis
When 2 organisms live in close proximity and at least one of them benefits
Define parasitism
Parasitism occurs when 2 organisms live in close proximity and one organism (the parasite) obtains its food from, and to the disadvantage of the second organism (the host)
What affect human populations
- War
- Famine
- Contraception
- Disease
Limitations to the pyramid of numbers
- Doesn’t account for size of animal
- Hard to make pyramid scale to number of organism
What is grazing food chain?
A grazing food chain is a sequence of organism in which one is eaten by the next member in the chain
