Ecology

Question 1

Biosphere

Answer 1

Area around the earth where life exists

Question 2

Organism

Answer 2

An individual living thing, a single member of a species

Question 3

Species

Answer 3

A group of organisms that are similar, can breed, and produce fertile offspring in nature

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

All of the members of a species that live in the same area

Question 5

Community

Answer 5

All of the different populations that live in the same area

Question 6

Ecosystem

Answer 6

All of the organisms (communities) that live in a given area and their physical environment

Question 7

Biome

Answer 7

A group of ecosystems with the same climate and similar communities

Question 8

Biotic factors

Answer 8

All of the living parts of the environment

Question 9

Abiotic factors

Answer 9

Any nonliving part of the environment

Question 10

Observation

Answer 10

The first steps in designing experiments and models (what species live here? How does an animal protect its young?)

Question 11

Experimentation

Answer 11

Used to test hypothesis. Can be set up in an artificial environment (greenhouse) or can carefully alter conditions in parts of a natural ecosystem

Question 12

Modeling

Answer 12

Created to better understand events that are difficult to study directly because they happen over a long period of time or over large distances

Question 13

Autotrophs

Answer 13

(Producers) organisms that capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food

Question 14

Photosynthesis

Answer 14

Using light energy to produce CHO’s

NRG(light)+H2O+CO2=O2+CHO

Question 15

Chemosynthesis

Answer 15

Using chemical energy to produce CHO’s

Question 16

Heterotrophs

Answer 16

(Consumers) get their energy from other organisms (autotrophs) by consuming them

Question 17

Herbivores

Answer 17

Obtain energy by eating only plants

Question 18

Carnivores

Answer 18

Obtain energy by killing and eating other animals

Question 19

Omnivores

Answer 19

Obtain energy by eating plants and animals

Question 20

Detritivores

Answer 20

(Maggots, worms) obtain energy by consuming the remains of dead and decaying plants and animals (detritus)

Question 21

Decomposers

Answer 21

(Bacteria, fungus) obtain energy by chemically breaking down organic matter producing detritus

Question 22

Food chain

Answer 22

A series of steps by which organisms transfer energy through an ecosystem by eating and being eaten (what eats what)

Question 23

Food web

Answer 23

Several food chains in an ecosystem combined

Question 24

Tropic level

Answer 24

The steps in a food chain or food web (producers make up the first trophic level and each consumer is dependent on the trophic level before it for energy)

Question 25

Ecological pyramids

Answer 25

Diagram that shows the amounts of energy or matter at each trophic level

Question 26

Energy pyramid

Answer 26

Amount of energy available on each trophic level. (10% of energy available at 1 level is transferred to the next, the rest is spent on life processes and some is given off as heat)

Question 27

Biomass pyramid

Answer 27

The total amount of living tissue at each trophic level (usually measured in grams of organic matter per unit area. Mass/unit area)

Question 28

Numbers pyramid

Answer 28

The number of individual organisms at each trophic level

Question 29

Ecology

Answer 29

The study of interactions between organisms and their environments