Ecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

the study of how organisms interact with one another and with the environment

Question 2

Community

Answer 2

made up of all the populations of different species that live and interact in an area

Question 3

Biotic factor

Answer 3

an interaction between living organisms in an area

Question 4

Ecosystem

Answer 4

a community of organisms and their nonliving environment

Question 5

Abiotic factor

Answer 5

a nonliving part of an environment, such as water, nutrients, soil, sunlight, rainfall, or temperature

Question 6

Biome

Answer 6

large regions characterized by climate and communities of species grouped together

Question 7

Niche

Answer 7

the abiotic conditions under which individuals can survive and the role they play it eh ecosystem

Question 8

Species

Answer 8

organisms that are closely related and can mate to protect fertile offspring.

Question 9

Habitat

Answer 9

the place where an organism usually lives and is part of an organism’s niche

Question 10

Producer

Answer 10

also called an autotroph, it uses energy to make food.

Question 11

Carnivore

Answer 11

an organism that eats other organisms

Question 12

Decomposer

Answer 12

an organism that gets energy and nutrients by breaking down the remains of other organism

Question 13

Omnivore

Answer 13

an organism that eats both plants and meat

Question 14

Consumer

Answer 14

an organism that eats other organisms

Question 15

Food chain

Answer 15

the path of energy transfer from producers to consumers. Energy moves from one organism to the next in one direction. The arrows represent the transfer of energy as one organism is eaten by another

Question 16

Herbivore

Answer 16

a consumer that eats only plants

Question 17

Food web

Answer 17

a more complicated diagram that depicts the feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem. These are made up of many food chains.

Question 18

Predator

Answer 18

an organism that eats another animal

Question 19

Prey

Answer 19

the animal a predator eats

Question 20

Commensalism

Answer 20

when one organism benefits and the other is not affected

Question 21

Symbiosis

Answer 21

a close long-term relationship between different species in a community

Question 22

Parasitism

Answer 22

a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits

Question 23

Mutualism

Answer 23

a symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

Question 24

Competition

Answer 24

occurs when organisms compete for resources, like food, water, sunlight, shelter, and mates.

Question 25

Limiting factor

Answer 25

an environmental factor that keeps a population from reaching its full potential size

Question 26

Native species

Answer 26

species that naturally live in an ecosystem

Question 27

Introduced species

Answer 27

species that have been brought to an ecosystem by human actions.

Question 28

Wetland

Answer 28

an area where land is covered by water for at least part of the year. Water flows slowly here

Question 29

Coral reef

Answer 29

grow in warm, shallow, clear waters and are made up of the skeletons of tiny animals

Question 30

Estuary

Answer 30

an area where freshwater mixes with saltwater.

Question 31

Forests

Answer 31

where longleaf pines, mangroves, cypress, and cabbage palms grow

Question 32

Prairies

Answer 32

Flat landscapes full of grasses, sedges, and rushes

Question 33

Dunes

Answer 33

mounds of sand piled up by the wind along beaches. Home of nesting birds and low-growing plants

Question 34

Lakes and ponds

Answer 34

standing bodies of water that can be either fresh or salt water.

Question 35

Rivers and streams

Question 36

Salt marshes

Answer 36

found along the coast, home to grasses like sedges and rushes, occasionally flooded by tides

Question 37

Mangrove swamps

Answer 37

found near areas with warm temperatures that are flooded by tides and also receive freshwater runoff