Ecology Review Flashcards
Compare “biotic” to “abiotic.”
“Biotic” refers to living components of an ecosystem and “abiotic” refers to NON-LIVING components of an ecosystem (like rocks, dirt, rain, etc).
What is another word for a primary producer?
Autotroph
What is another word for a consumer?
Heterotroph
Name the six types of consumers (heterotroph).
- Herbivore
- Carnivore
- Omnivore
- Scavenger
- Decomposer
- Detritivore
Define “herbivore” and give examples.
A consumer that only eats primary producers (autotrophs). Ex: Rabbits, cows, sheep, chickens.
Define “carnivore” and give examples.
A consumer that only eats consumers that it preys upon and kills. Ex: Lions, tigers, owls.
Define “omnivore” and give examples.
A consumer that eats both primary producers as well as other consumers. Ex: Humans, monkeys, dogs.
Define “scavenger” and give examples.
A consumer that is similar to a carnivore except that it likes to eat things that have already been killed by someone else or have died a natural death. Ex: vultures, hyenas.
Define “decomposer” and give examples.
A consumer that feeds off of microscopic dead matter, like dead skin cells. Ex: mites in bed, many types of bacteria, mushrooms. Their waste is called DETRITUS.
Define “detritivore” and give examples.
A consumer that feeds off of DETRITUS, which is the byproduct (waste, poop) of decomposers. Ex: earth worms (think of a scary movie with brown worms coming out of dead corpses).
What is a predator?
A hunter that stalks its food and kills it.
What is prey?
The hunted that is stalked and killed by a predator.
What is the organizational structure of the biosphere?
- Species
- Population
- Community
- Ecosystem
- Biome
- Biosphere
More than one member of the same type of animal or plant is a ________.
Species
More than one member of the same type of animal or plant in the SAME geographical location is a ________.
Population
More than one member of different types of animals and plants in the SAME geographical location is a _________.
Community
More than one member of different types of living things WITH the abiotic factors in a geographical location is a __________.
Ecosystem
Ecosystems with similar climates make up a _______.
Biome
The living earth is called the _______.
Biosphere
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
Food chains are INSIDE of food webs. In the ecosystem, there are MANY overlapping food chains (for example, in the aquaponics we should have had the food chain “PLANTS –> FISH –> BACTERIA” but instead we also had “FISH –> FISH –> BACTERIA” because the fish ate each other).
What is a symbiotic relationship?
An ecological relationship where living things affect (help or harm) one another).
What are the three types of symbiotic relationships we studied?
- Commensialism
- Parasitism
- Mutualism
Define “mutualism” and give examples.
A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from one another. Ex: Leeches are used medically to eat dead skin off of burn victims in hospitals.
Define “commensialism” and give examples.
A symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits from the other and the other species is neither helped nor harmed. Ex: An ant that rides on your Tarbia skirt without you knowing it in order to be transported into the shade.
