ecology

Question 1

biotic

Answer 1

describes living factors in the environment

Question 2

abiotic

Answer 2

describes the nonliving part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature

Question 3

population

Answer 3

a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area

Question 4

community

Answer 4

all the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other

Question 5

ecosystem

Answer 5

a community of organisms and their abiotic environment

Question 6

biosphere

Answer 6

the part of earth where life exists

Question 7

herbivore

Answer 7

an organism that eats only plants

Question 8

carnivore

Answer 8

an organism that eats animals

Question 9

omnivore

Answer 9

an organism that eats both plants and animals

Question 10

food chain

Answer 10

the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms

Question 11

food web

Answer 11

a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem

Question 12

energy pyramid

Answer 12

a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystems loss of energy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystems food chain

Question 13

carrying capacity

Answer 13

the largest population that an environment can support at any given time

Question 14

prey

Answer 14

an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

Question 15

predator

Answer 15

an organism that eats all or part of another organism

Question 16

mutualism

Answer 16

a relationship between 2 species in which both species benefit

Question 17

commensalism

Answer 17

a relationship between 2 organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 18

parasitism

Answer 18

a relationship between 2 species in which one species, the parasite, benefits from the other species, the host, which is harmed

Question 19

producers

Answer 19

an organism that can make its own food by using energy from its surroundings

Question 20

decomposers

Answer 20

an organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or animal wastes and consuming or absorbing the nutrients

Question 21

desert

Answer 21

an area that has little or no plant life, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures, usually found in hot climates

Question 22

tundra

Answer 22

a treeless plain found in the arctic, in the antarctic, or on the tops of mountains that is characterized by very low winter temperatures, cool summers

Question 23

savanna

Answer 23

a grassland that often has scattered trees and that is found in tropical and subtropical areas where seasonal rains, fires, and drought happen

Question 24

temperate deciduous forests

Answer 24

loose their leaves in forests

Question 25

tropical rain forest

Answer 25

annual rainfalls and evergreen trees

Question 26

coniferous forest

Answer 26

vegetation composed primarily of needle leaved trees

Question 27

temperate grassland

Answer 27

a larger biome group of grasslands including tropical savannas