General/Core Terms

Question 0

What is fitness?

Answer 0

A measure of how successful an individual is within a certain environment compared to other individuals.

(Measured by how many offspring grow up to produce offspring)

Question 1

What is a niche?

Answer 1

physical & biological conditions in which an organism lives, and the way the organism uses those conditions

…like their behavior/lifestyle according to environmental conditions

Question 2

What is a gene?

Answer 2

A segment of DNA that codes for something specific

ex. Blue eyes

Question 3

What is fecundity?

Answer 3

Describes the # of offspring an individual or a population is able to produce during a given period of time

Mice - high fecundity

Humans - low fecundity

Question 4

Autotroph

And examples

Answer 4

Organism that produces complex organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) from substances in it’s environment, generally using energy from light (photosynthesis) or inorganic chemical reactions (chemosynthesis)

Examples: plants, algae, many bacteria

Question 5

Transpiration

Answer 5

Water moving from roots to leaves through a plant and then evaporating. Essentially evaporation of water from plant leaves

Question 6

Detritus

Answer 6

Non living particulate organic material.
-typically includes dead organisms and fecal matter.

Ex. Leaf litter