Interations With Ecosystem Flashcards
What is ecology?
The study of interactions among living organisms and between them and their physical environment.
What is the biotic environment?
The living components of an ecosystem.
What is the abiotic environment?
The non-living components of an ecosystem.
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives, which can be living or non-living, natural or artificial.
What is a population?
A group of organisms of the same species living in a particular habitat.
What is a community?
Different populations of organisms living in the same habitat.
What is an ecosystem?
Communities of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.
What are abiotic factors?
The non-living parts of an ecosystem that affect organisms.
How do organisms adapt to abiotic factors?
Through physical or behavioral adaptations.
How does light intensity affect organisms?
It affects plant growth and animal behavior; green plants exist only where there is sufficient sunlight.
How does temperature affect organisms?
It influences metabolism; extreme temperatures can be intolerable.
How do plants survive extreme temperatures?
- Storing food underground
- Shedding leaves to reduce water loss
- Producing temperature-resistant seeds
How does water availability affect organisms?
It affects population size and location, depending on rainfall.
How do plants adapt to low water availability?
- Reducing leaves to spines
- Storing water in fleshy stems
- Photosynthesizing through green stems
Why is oxygen content important?
Most organisms require oxygen for respiration.
How does salinity affect aquatic organisms?
It influences water potential in their cells and their survival.
Why is pH important in ecosystems?
Most organisms can tolerate only a narrow pH range.
What is a tolerance range?
The range of an abiotic factor within which a species can survive.
What happens near the limits of a species’ tolerance range?
- Stress
- Reduced health
- Slower growth
- Lower reproduction rates
Why can’t organisms survive on their own?
Interrelationships help maintain balance in an ecosystem.
What is predation?
A carnivorous or omnivorous organism kills and eats another.
What is parasitism?
One organism benefits at the expense of another.
What is mutualism?
Both organisms benefit from each other.
What is commensalism?
One organism benefits, while the other is neither harmed nor helped.
