ecosystems

Question 1

what is a habitat?

Answer 1

the place where an organism lives

Question 2

what is a community?

Answer 2

all the organisms living together (animals and plants)

Question 3

what is population?

Answer 3

the total number of individuals from the same species living in one area

Question 4

what is an ecosystem/what does an ecosystem consist of?

Answer 4

an ecosystem consists of all organisms (the community) living in a particular habitat and the non-living components which the organisms interact with

Question 5

what is biodiversity?

Answer 5

biodiversity refers to the variety of organisms as well as the relative abundance of each type of organism

Question 6

why is biodiversity important?

Answer 6

variation within a population makes it possible for a population to adapt over time in response to changing environmental conditions

Question 7

what two groups can organisms be divided into?

Answer 7

• producers
• consumers

Question 8

what is a producer?

Answer 8

green plants that make their own food

Question 9

what is a consumer?

Answer 9

organisms that eat another organism in order to get energy

Question 10

what are the five types of consumers?

Answer 10

• herbivores
• carnivores
• omnivores
• predators
• prey

Question 11

what is a herbivore?

Answer 11

an organism that consumes only plant material

Question 12

what is a carnivore?

Answer 12

an organism that consumes only animal material

Question 13

what is an omnivore?

Answer 13

an organism that consumes both plant and animal material

Question 14

what is a predator?

Answer 14

an organism that hunts and kills other animals for food

Question 15

what is prey?

Answer 15

an organism that is hunted and killed by predators

Question 16

what does a food chain always start with?

Answer 16

a producer

Question 17

what do the arrows in a food chain represent?

Answer 17

the direction of energy flow

Question 18

what are primary consumers?

Answer 18

• they are animals hunted by secondary consumers and are termed prey
• primary consumers eat producers and are termed herbivores

Question 19

what are secondary consumers?

Answer 19

• secondary consumers are animals that hunt and are termed predators
• they eat primary consumers and are termed carnivores

Question 20

what do relationships that exist within a food chain indicate?

Answer 20

the level of stability within an ecosystem

Question 21

what indicates a stable ecosystem?

Answer 21

high levels of biodiversity

Question 22

what indicates an unstable ecosystem?

Answer 22

low levels of biodiversity

Question 23

what are all living things within an ecosystem known as?

Answer 23

interdependant

Question 24

what affect does the change in the size of one population have on an ecosystem?

Answer 24

a change in the size of one population affects the survival chance of all other organisms within the ecosystem

Question 25

what is a niche?

Answer 25

the role that an organism plays within a community

Question 26

what does the role of an organism relate to?

Answer 26

• the resources it requires to survive in its ecosystem
• its interactions with other organisms in the community
• competition, predation, and conditions organisms can tolerate

Question 27

when does competition occur?

Answer 27

when resources required for survival are available in short supply

Question 28

what resources do animals compete for?

Answer 28

• food
• shelter/space
• mates
• water

Question 29

what resources do plants compete for?

Answer 29

• light
• water
• space
• nutrients/minerals

Question 30

what are the two types of competition?

Answer 30

• INTERspecific competition
• INTRAspecific competition

Question 31

what is interspecific competition?

Answer 31

competition between different species for similar resources

Question 32

what is intraspecific competition?

Answer 32

competition between the same species for the same resources they require