Ecology

Question 1

Biological community and all the nonliving factors that affect it.

Answer 1

Ecosystem

Question 2

any living factor in an organisms environment.

Answer 2

Biotic factor

Question 3

any nonliving factor in an organisms environment.

Answer 3

Abiotic factor

Question 4

anything that has once had all characteristics of life.

Answer 4

Organism

Question 5

a group of organism that can be interbreed and can produce fertile offspring.

Answer 5

Species

Question 6

Group of organisms of the same species that occupy the same place at the same time

Answer 6

Population

Question 7

group of interacting populations that live in the same place at the same time

Answer 7

Community

Question 8

physical area where organisms live

Answer 8

Habitat

Question 9

theory of evolution developed by Darwin based on 4 ideas: excess reproduction, variations, inheritance, and the advantages of specific traits in an environment.

Answer 9

Natural selection

Question 10

Hereditary changes in groups of living organisms over time.

Answer 10

Evolution

Question 11

organism that captures energy from sunlight or other substances that produces its own food.

Answer 11

Producers/autotrophs

Question 12

organism that cannot make its own food, gets energy by eating other organisms

Answer 12

Consumers/heterotrophs

Question 13

animals that eat primary producers (herbivores)

Answer 13

Primary consumer

Question 14

animals that eat primary consumers (omnivore)

Answer 14

Secondary Consumer

Question 15

A carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores

Answer 15

Tertiary consumer

Question 16

animal that eats plants

Answer 16

Herbivores

Question 17

animal that eats meat

Answer 17

Carnivores

Question 18

animals that eat both plants and animals

Answer 18

Omnivores

Question 19

organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms

Answer 19

Decomposers

Question 20

simplified model that shows a single path fir energy flow through an ecosystem

Answer 20

food chain

Question 21

model that shows many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy & matter flow through an ecosystem.

Answer 21

food web

Question 22

Graphical model of energy flow in a community

Answer 22

energy pyramid

Question 23

Process by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment.

Answer 23

Carbon cycle

Question 24

Nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and living organisms

Answer 24

Nitrogen cycle

Question 25

When plants and animals die phosphates are built up and returned to the abiotic environment through the action of bacteria.

Answer 25

Phosphorus cycle

Question 26

observed process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time

Answer 26

Ecological Succession

Question 27

1st to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems.

Answer 27

Pioneer species

Question 28

an ecological community in the final stage of of succession

Answer 28

Climax community