Ecology Unit Test Flashcards
Define: Aboitic
factors that are everything else. They can be physical (rocks, etc.) or things that are measured (temperature, hours of daylight, etc.) (Abiotic are all non-living things).
Define: Aquifer
a large underground lake. The water is absorbed into the ground and travels downwards until it reaches bedrock where it gathers with other water particles and creates a lake.
Define: Atmosphere
layer of gases that surround Earth
Define: Biodiversity
the number of different types of organisms in an area (the diversity of an area).
Define: Biome
a large geographical region that contains similar ecosystems. On land, biomes are defined by the types of plants that grow in them.
Define: Biosphere
the part of the planet, including water, land and air where life exists
Define: Biotic
factors such as organisms- plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and algae(living things).
Define: Carbon Cycle
the carbon cycle is the cycle through which carbon is used, recycled and used again by organisms.
Define: Carnivores
consumers that mainly eat meat. Ex. A wolf.
Define: Carrying Capacity
the maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can support without reducing its ability to sustain future generations of the same species
Define: Cellular Respiration
process organisms use to obtain energy from glucose and other carbohydrates
Define: Commensalism
(a form of symbiosis) where one organism benefits with minimal impact on the other
Define: Community
made up of populations of different species that live and interact in the same area
Define: Competition
interaction between 2 or more organisms competing for the same resource in a given habitat
Define: Components
Parts of an ecosystem (ex. A tree in a rainforest ecosystem)
Define: Consumer
organisms that eat other organisms to get their energy because they can’t make their own food
Define: Decomposers
consumers that breakdown organic matter and release its nutrients back into the ecosystem (ex. Fungi and bacteria)
Define: Denitrifying Bacteria
bacteria that convert nitrates into nitrogen gas
Define: Detrivores
consumer that feeds on organic matter (ex. Earthworms)
Define: Ecology
the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment
Define: Ecosystem
complex, self-regulating systems in which living things interact with each other and non-living things
Define: Energy Pyramid
a diagram that shows the amount of available energy producers and consumers contain as energy flows through an ecosystem
Define: Environment
all the living and non-living things that exist on Earth
Define: Fossil Fuels
fuel formed from the organic matter of organisms that lived millions of years ago. This includes coal oil and natural gas.
Define: Habitat
the physical environment of an organism
Define: Herbivore
an organism that only eats plants (ex. Moose, deer)
Define: Holistic Approach
emphasizes an entire system
Define: Hydrosphere
all the water on Earth
Define: Limiting Factor
environmental factor that prevents an increase in the number of organisms in a population or prevents them from moving into new habitats
Define: Lithosphere
Earth’s solid outer layer
Define: Marine
water based biome where the water has a high salt content
Define: Mimicry
where an organism looks like another organism so they can benefit from the others defenses
Define: Mutualism
when both organisms benefit from a relationship (form of symbiosis)
Define: Niche
all the interactions of a given species with its ecosystem or what a species does in an ecosystem. Ex. a squirrel’s niche is eating nuts and seeds, being hunted by foxes and owls, being active in the day and living and nesting in trees.
Define: Nitrifying Bacteria
bacteria that converts ammonia into nitrites then into nitrates
Define: Nitrogen Cycle
a cycle in which the Earth’s nitrogen is recycled to be used by organisms by being converted into many varieties of its chemical version.
Define: Nitrogen Fixation
conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia
Define: Nutrient
substance that an organism uses to build and repair cells of the body
Define: Nutrient Cycle
the process of moving a nutrient from the abiotic part of an ecosystem to the biotic part, and back again
Define: Omnivore
consumers that eat both plants and animals (Ex. bears, racoons, humans)
Define: Organic Matter
remains of dead organisms and animals wastes. Can be recycled by bacterium and fungi
Define: Parasitism
A form of symbiosis where one organism benefits while the other is harmed
Define: Photosynthesis
the process plants use to produce carbohydrates by combining carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to produce oxygen gas and glucose (CO2 +H2O+ SUNLIGHT= O2+GLUCOSE or Carbon dioxide+ Water+ sunlight=oxygen gas+ glucose)
Define: Population
group of members of the same species that live in the same area (same species, same area)
Define: Predation
: one organism eating another organism to obtain food. Predation causes animals to adapt to avoid being eaten. They can avoid this by camouflage, mimicry or releasing chemicals to make the smell or taste bad.
Define: Primary Consumers
eats producers (ex. caterpillar)
Define: Produer
organism that carry out photosynthesis to create its own food.
Define: Run-off
water that runs off the ground into nearby streams or rivers
Define: Scavenger
consumers that eat the remains of dead animals (ex. vultures)
Define: Secondary Consumer
feeds on primary consumers (ex. a robin eats a worm)
Define: Seepage
water that soaks through the soil
Define: Species
a group of similar organisms in an ecosystem
Define: Stewardship
way of acting that involves taking personal responsibility for the management and care of something
Define: Sustainability
the ability of populations of plants, animals and other living organisms to continue to interact and reproduce infinitely (an ecosystems ability to sustain future generations)
Define: Symbiosis
close interaction between 2 different species in which members of one species live in, on, or near members of another species.
Define: System
group of individual parts that interact as a whole to accomplish a task
Define: Tertiary Consumers
feeds on secondary consumer (ex. hawk, wolf, etc.)
Define: Transpiration
the process through which water is evaporated from plants into the atmosphere (part of the water cycle)
Define: Water Cycle
the cycle through which water is purified and recycled to be used by organisms.
What are the equations for cellular respiration and photosynthesis?
Cellular Respiration- Glucose + Oxygen gas = Carbon dioxide gas + Water + Energy
Photosynthesis: Sunlight + Carbon Dioxide gas + Water = glucose + oxygen
What is Bio-accumulation?
Bioaccumulation: the process by which toxins in the environment are absorbed by an organism faster than it can excrete them causing them to build up inside the organism
What is biomagnification?
Bio magnification: when consumers eat other organisms and incorporate their toxins into the body of the consumer. Toxins in the other organism are due to bioaccumulation
Define: habitat change
when humans alter a habitat making it no longer habitable for animals to live there
Define: Native Species
organisms that normally live in a habitat
Define: Habitat Fragmentation
when habitats are separated into patches
Define:Overexploitation
when an organism is hunted faster than it can reproduce
What are some examples of point source pollution
oil spills, waste water, partially treated waste water
What are some examples of non-point source pollution
fertilizer and pesticide run-off and salt run-off
Define: Invasive Species
a non-native species that is brought into an ecosystem and out-competes the native species for resources. They are usually invasive because they have no natural predators and they can reproduce faster than the native species.
Define: Climate Change
when average temperatures rise or fall
Define: Urban Sprawl
unplanned growth of urban area into country side
