Introduction

Question 1

What is Ecology

Answer 1

The study of the interaction of living things w each other and their physical environment

Question 2

Define population and community

Answer 2

Population:Members of a species living in a particular location
Community: All interacting populations in a given area

Question 3

Give five examples of Abiotic factors

Answer 3

Amount of moisture 
Light intensity 
pH
Supply of gases such as oxygen,Co2,nitrogen
Temperature

Question 4

Why are abiotic factors considered limiting factors

Answer 4

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

Question 5

When is an ecosystem said to be self sustaining

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Give two examples of how abiotic factors are limiting factors

Answer 6

. 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.

Question 7

Define carrying capacity

Answer 7

•the maximum number of organisms the resources of an area can support

Question 8

What limits carrying capacity

Answer 8

the available abiotic and biotic resources

the ability of ecosystems to recycle the residue of dead organisms through the activities of bacteria and fungi.

Question 9

Define steady state

Answer 9

•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.

Question 10

What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Name four Types of heterotrophs

Answer 11

Herbivores
Carnivores- Predators and Scavengers(they feed on animals that they didn’t kill)
Omnivores
Saprophytes

Question 12

Define symbiosis and state the types

Answer 12

Symbiosis refers to the relationship between two organisms in close association 
Types 
Mutualism 
Commensalism
Parasitic

Question 13

In Which symbiotic does one organism benefit while the other is unharmed

Answer 13

Commensalism- example

Barnacles on whales

Question 14

In which symbiotic relationship do both org benefit from the relationship

Answer 14

Mutualism- example nitrogen fixing bacteria on legume noodles

Question 15

In which symbiotic relationship does the parasite benefit at the expense of the host

Answer 15

Parasitic-tapeworm and heart worm in dogs

Question 16

Define food chain

Answer 16

A.Food chain: involves the transfer of energy from green plants through a series of organisms with repeated stages of eating and being eaten

Question 17

Define food web

Answer 17

In a natural community, the flow of energy and materials is much more complicated than illustrated by any one food chain.

Question 18

Primary consumers are the

Answer 18

Herbivores

Question 19

Secondary consumers are th

Answer 19

Carnivores

Question 20

Function of decomposes

Answer 20

composers: break down organic wastes and dead organisms to simpler substances (ex. bacteria of decay)

Question 21

Why is there a decrease in overall energy as you move up the food chain

Answer 21

• 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.

Question 22

Define biomass

Answer 22

The amount of organic matter

Question 23

Total mass of carnivores is more than the total mass of producers. True or false

Answer 23

False

It’s less

Question 24

From the pyramid of biomass, which organisms occupy it in ascending order

Answer 24

From above to below cuz those above are smaller 
A-tertiary consumers
B-secondary
C- primary
D- producers

Question 25

Explain the term succession

Answer 25

replacement of populations in habitat as it moves toward a stable state
(determined by changes in plants)

Question 26

Ecosystems tend to change w time until what kind of system is formed

Answer 26

A stable system

Question 27

State the types of succession

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Plant succession is a major limiting factor for animal succession
Why?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Define competition

Answer 29

: 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.

Question 30

Define the competitive exclusion principle

Answer 30

If two different species fight for the same food sources , one species may be eliminated

Question 31

Define niche

Answer 31

The organisms role in the community particularly its role in relation to food with other species

Question 32

Explain the carbon oxygen cycle

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

Explain the nitrogen cycle

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Explain water cycle

Answer 34

er Cycle

•involves the processes of photosynthesis, transpiration, evaporation and condensation, respiration, and excretion

Question 35

Define biodiversity and give two

Importance of it

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

Define biomes

Answer 36

IOME - a large geographical community that has a particular type of Climax community (a dominant type of plant (flora) and animal (fauna) life).

Question 37

Name two charact of a Aquatic biomes and give the types along with examples

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Define habitat,name three habitats along with their charact

Answer 38

•A habitat is a place where a particular animal or plant species lives.

Question 39

How is the ecosystem disrupted

Answer 39

Urbanization
Poor farming practices
Misuse of pesticides

Question 40

Name three almost extinct animals

Answer 40

bison, gray wolves and egrets.