Ecology Test Flashcards
A group of the same species
population
A group of ecosystems with the same climate
biome
A group of the same type of organisms
species
Organisms that cannot make their own food
heterotroph
The process by which green plants make food
photosynthesis
The study of interactions of organisms and their community
ecology
Organisms that can make their own food
autotrophs
All of the organisms and their physical environment
ecosystem
Several populations that live in the same area
community
The portion of the planet that supports life
biosphere
The total amount of living material found in a trophic level
biomass
A network of overlapping food chains
food web
Organisms that feed on broken down plant and animal material
detritivore
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
food chain
Another term for heterotroph
consumer
A living factor in the environment
biotic factor
Organisms that help recycle nutrients in a food web
decomposer
Process by which organisms make food from inorganic materials
chemosynthesis
A nonliving factor in the environment
abiotic factor
Both biotic and abiotic factors
habitat
An organisms role in the environment
niche
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
no two species can occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat at exactly the same time
What does the herbivore-plant relationship effect?
the size and distribution of plants
What are keystone species?
when changes in one population of species can cause dramatic changes in the structure of a community
Any relationship in which 2 species live closely together
Symbiosis
Mutualism
both organisms benefit
Parasitism
one organism is benefited and the host is harmed
Commensalism
one organism benefits and one is un-affected
Ecological Succession
the series of changes that occur in a community over time
Primary Succession
disturbances that occur on surfaces where no soil exists (no previous life)
During which process do organisms take carbon out of the atmosphere?
photosynthesis
Which biogeochemical cycle does not involve a stage where the chemical enters the atmosphere?
phosphorus cycle
What is not recycled in biogeochemical cycles?
energy
What is an ecological pyramid?
the percent of biomass at each trophic level
