Ecology Review

Question 1

If an arrow points away from an organism like the following example, monocot –> nematode, what is being eaten?

Answer 1

monocot (arrows point towards the animal doing the eating)

Question 2

What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?

Answer 2

food web = many food chains tied together

Question 3

abiotic

Answer 3

the nonliving parts

Question 4

biodiversity

Answer 4

the variety of different organisms living in an area

Question 5

biome

Answer 5

an area classified according to the species that live in that location

Question 6

biotic

Answer 6

the living parts

Question 7

carnivore

Answer 7

a type of organism that eats consumers

Question 8

carrying capacity

Answer 8

a species’ average population size in a particular habitat

Question 9

climate

Answer 9

the long-term, predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area

Question 10

commensalism

Answer 10

one organism benefits, the other is not helped or harmed

Question 11

community

Answer 11

many different populations of different species living together

Question 12

consumer

Answer 12

an organism that eats or consumes food

Question 13

decomposer

Answer 13

an organism that breaks down other organisms and recycles their nutrients back into the environment

Question 14

ecology

Answer 14

the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment

Question 15

ecosystem

Answer 15

a self-supporting unit of interacting organisms and their environment

Question 16

habitat

Answer 16

the area where an organism lives

Question 17

herbivore

Answer 17

a type of organism that eats producers

Question 18

mutualism

Answer 18

both organisms benefit from living together

Question 19

niche

Answer 19

the functional role of a species in an ecosystem

Question 20

omnivore

Answer 20

a type of organism that eats producers and consumers

Question 21

parasitism

Answer 21

one organism benefits and the other is harmed

Question 22

population

Answer 22

multiple organisms of the same species living together in a specific area

Question 23

predator

Answer 23

an organism that primarily obtains food by killing and consuming of other consumers

Question 24

prey

Answer 24

the organism which the predator eats

Question 25

producer

Answer 25

an organism that makes it’s own food (usually through photosynthesis)

Question 26

scavenger

Answer 26

an organism that mostly consumes decaying biomass

Question 27

species

Answer 27

a group of organisms that are closely related and are able to produce fertile offspring (their young can reproduce)

Question 28

succession

Answer 28

the natural replacement of communities by different species in an area over time

Question 29

symbiosis

Answer 29

any relationship/interaction between two dissimilar organisms

Question 30

where do producers and ultimately all organisms get their energy?

Answer 30

the sun