Ecology Flashcards
Ecosystem
A community of living organisms along with their natural habitat and the non-living components.
Biotic: living organisms
Abiotic: Non-living
What is a Food Chain?
Single path which helps us work out who eats whom in habitat in order to get energy and material required for nutrition.
What is a Food Web?
A diagram of the interconnection between lots of organisms. Populations are interdependent on each other. Interaction and overlapping of several food chains.
Competition - Symbiotic Relationship
Both occupy the same trohic level and feed on the same resource, they are in competition with each other for limited resources.
Parasitism
One organism benefits from the interaction, while the other is harmed.
Mutualism
Both organims shall benefit from their interaction
Commensalism
One organism benefits from the interaction, while the other is neither helped nor harmed.
Protocooperation
A relationship between two populations is favorable but both of them do not depend on each other.
What are the Types of Adaptation?
Physiological Adaptation - changes in an organisms metabolism or internal processes to help thrive in its environment.
Behavioral Adaptation - affect how an organism acts
Structural Adaptation- organisms environment shaped its appearance
What are the Biogeochemical Cycles?
How nutrients move from biotic and abiotic organisms. CHNOPS (Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur Cycle)
- Water Cycle
- Carbon Cycle
- Nitrogen Cycle
- Phosphorus Cycle
- Sulfur Cycle
Biodiversity
Variation of life and their interactions
Genetic Diversity
The variety of species expressed at the genetic level by each individual in one species.
Species Diversity
Biodiversity obeserved within a community
Ecological Diversity
Diversity observed among the ecosystems in a particular region.
Keystone Species
Species which other species in an ecosystem depends on. If it were removed ecosystem would change drastically.
Hierarchy of Biological Organization
Organizes living things based on their complexity
Molecule - group of atoms bonded together
Organelle - specialized structure within a cell
Cell - basic unit of life
Tissue - group of similar cells
Organ - group of tissues
Population - group of individuals
Ecosystem - biological community
Biome - large, naturally occuring community
Taxonomy
Branch of science concerned with classification. Science of classifying living things.
4 kingdoms of Eukarya
Plantae - multicellular plants that acquire nutrients through photosynthesis. With nucleus, chloroplast, and cell walls. (Autotrophs - they can feed themselves)
Protista - single-celled eukaryotes and are mainly aquatic. Both autotrophs and heterotrophs.
Animilia - multicellular and move with the aid of cilia flagella, or muscular organs based on contractile proteins. Have organelles but no chloroplasts or cell walls. (Heterotrophs - gets their energy by eating other organisms)
Fingu - multicellular, with a cell wall, organelles but no chloroplasts (heterotrophs)
