Introduction Flashcards
What is Ecology
The study of the interaction of living things w each other and their physical environment
Define population and community
Population:Members of a species living in a particular location
Community: All interacting populations in a given area
Give five examples of Abiotic factors
Amount of moisture Light intensity pH Supply of gases such as oxygen,Co2,nitrogen Temperature
Why are abiotic factors considered limiting factors
Limiting factors are factors that consider the type of organism that lives in a particular environment therefore abiotic factors act as limiting factors because they vary in the environment
When is an ecosystem said to be self sustaining
If there is a constant source of energy and the living organisms are able to incorporate this energy into organic molecules
If there is a cycling of materials between organisms and the environment
Give two examples of how abiotic factors are limiting factors
. The amount of oxygen dissolved in a body of water will help determine what species of fish live there.
3. The dry environment of desert regions limits the organisms that can live there.
Define carrying capacity
•the maximum number of organisms the resources of an area can support
What limits carrying capacity
the available abiotic and biotic resources
the ability of ecosystems to recycle the residue of dead organisms through the activities of bacteria and fungi.
Define steady state
•Steady State - this occurs when the population remains relatively constant over a number of years. This will occur when the number of births equals the number of deaths.
What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs
Autotrophs synthesize their own food from inorganic compounds
While heterotrophs don’t synthesize their own food and depend on other org for their own foods
Name four Types of heterotrophs
Herbivores
Carnivores- Predators and Scavengers(they feed on animals that they didn’t kill)
Omnivores
Saprophytes
Define symbiosis and state the types
Symbiosis refers to the relationship between two organisms in close association Types Mutualism Commensalism Parasitic
In Which symbiotic does one organism benefit while the other is unharmed
Commensalism- example
Barnacles on whales
In which symbiotic relationship do both org benefit from the relationship
Mutualism- example nitrogen fixing bacteria on legume noodles
In which symbiotic relationship does the parasite benefit at the expense of the host
Parasitic-tapeworm and heart worm in dogs
Define food chain
A.Food chain: involves the transfer of energy from green plants through a series of organisms with repeated stages of eating and being eaten
Define food web
In a natural community, the flow of energy and materials is much more complicated than illustrated by any one food chain.
Primary consumers are the
Herbivores
Secondary consumers are th
Carnivores
Function of decomposes
composers: break down organic wastes and dead organisms to simpler substances (ex. bacteria of decay)
Why is there a decrease in overall energy as you move up the food chain
- This means that there is much more energy in the producer level in a food web than at the consumer levels.
- Also, this means that there is more energy at the primary consumer level than at the secondary consumer level.
Energy Transfer:
•Each consumer level of the food pyramid utilizes approximately 10% of its ingested nutrients to build new tissue.
•This new tissue represents food for the next feeding level.
Yummy!
•The remaining energy is lost in the form of heat and unavailable chemical energy. Eventually, the energy in an ecosystem is lost and is radiated from the earth.
Define biomass
The amount of organic matter
Total mass of carnivores is more than the total mass of producers. True or false
False
It’s less
From the pyramid of biomass, which organisms occupy it in ascending order
From above to below cuz those above are smaller A-tertiary consumers B-secondary C- primary D- producers
Explain the term succession
replacement of populations in habitat as it moves toward a stable state
(determined by changes in plants)
Ecosystems tend to change w time until what kind of system is formed
A stable system
State the types of succession
Primary -development of plant communities at a habit that previously lacked plants
secondary -return of a habitat to its natural vegetation following a disruption of the way the community was
Plant succession is a major limiting factor for animal succession
Why?
This is because the type of plants that grow in a particular place determines the kind of animals that live there for example if a place was destroyed and at first pawpaw grew there now that the plants are being grown again probably pawpaw won’t grow there again so the type of organisms that used to feed on the pawpaw will move to a different place due to lack of pawpaw at the original place
Define competition
: occurs when two different species or organisms living in the same environment (habitat) utilize the same limited resources, such as food, water, space, light, oxygen, and minerals.
Define the competitive exclusion principle
If two different species fight for the same food sources , one species may be eliminated
Define niche
The organisms role in the community particularly its role in relation to food with other species
Explain the carbon oxygen cycle
involves the processes of respiration and photosynthesis.
•In respiration, oxygen and glucose are combined releasing energy and producing water and carbon dioxide.
•In photosynthesis water and carbon dioxide along with the energy from the sun are combined to produce glucose (containing energy) and oxygen.
•Each process compliments the other and the ecosystem maintains its balanced communities.
Explain the nitrogen cycle
Nitrate is used by plants by building plant proteins
It’s eaten by animals and builds animal proteins. Plants and animals die. bacteria convert organic nitrogen into plant usable ammonia
Nitriying bacteria convert ammonium to plant usable nitrate
Explain water cycle
er Cycle
•involves the processes of photosynthesis, transpiration, evaporation and condensation, respiration, and excretion
Define biodiversity and give two
Importance of it
It is the differences in living organisms in the ecosystem
Increased biodiversity increased the stability of an ecosystem
Increased biodiversity •Increased biodiversity increases the chance that at least some living things will survive in the face of large changes in the environment.
Biodiversity adds aesthetic qualities to the environment.
Define biomes
IOME - a large geographical community that has a particular type of Climax community (a dominant type of plant (flora) and animal (fauna) life).
Name two charact of a Aquatic biomes and give the types along with examples
Temperatures do not vary as much as land biomes (water absorbs and releases heat)
•Organisms must maintain water balance
two types of Aquatic Biomes: Marine Biomes-Oceans Importance •Salt •Contains many different organisms •Provides most of the earths food nutrients •Most oxygen is produced here
Fresh water Biomes -
Ponds, lakes,rivers and streams
Define habitat,name three habitats along with their charact
•A habitat is a place where a particular animal or plant species lives.
How is the ecosystem disrupted
Urbanization
Poor farming practices
Misuse of pesticides
Name three almost extinct animals
bison, gray wolves and egrets.
