Introduction to Ecology

Question 1

what is ecology?

Answer 1

the study of interaction between organisms and their environments

Question 2

What is a biosphere?

Answer 2

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

Question 3

Biotic vs abiotic

Answer 3

biotic is living. abiotic is nonliving

Question 4

What is a population?

Answer 4

a summation of all the organisms of the same group or species, which live in the same geographical area

Question 5

What is a community?

Answer 5

interacting group of various species in a common location

Question 6

What is an ecoystem

Answer 6

a community of living organisms and its abiotic environment

Question 7

What is a biome?

Answer 7

A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region.

Question 8

What is the order Ecological levels of organization?

Answer 8

Individual–>Population–>Community–>Ecosystem–>Biome–>Biosphere

Question 9

Difference between a habitat and a niche

Answer 9

a habitat is where an organism or a community of organisms lives, whereas a niche is an organisms role in a habitat

Question 10

Describe competition

Answer 10

an interaction between organisms or species, in which the fitness of one is lowered by the presence of another. This is caused by limited resources.

Question 11

Describe predation

Answer 11

predation is a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey

Question 12

Is grass prey?

Answer 12

NO, STUPID

Question 13

Types of symbiotic relationships

Answer 13

Mutalism, Commensalism, Parasitism

Question 14

Describe mutualism

Answer 14

symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved. Ex: flowers and bees

Question 15

Describe commensalism

Answer 15

an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Ex: remoras and sharks

Question 16

Describe parasitism

Answer 16

non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.
Ex: tapeworm and human

Question 17

Autotroph definition

Answer 17

an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances

Question 18

Heterotroph definition

Answer 18

an organism deriving its nutritional from organic substances.

Question 19

Herbivore defintion

Answer 19

eats plants

Question 20

carnivore defintion

Answer 20

eats meat

Question 21

omnivore definition

Answer 21

eats plants and meats

Question 22

detrivore definition

Answer 22

eats organic waste (dead things)

Question 23

Difference between food chain and food web?

Answer 23

food chain is a single line of organisms, where each is preceded by something that it consumes and is followed by something that consumes it. A food web more complex and is made up of multiple food chains

Question 24

How much energy moved up the ecological pyramid?

Answer 24

10%

Question 25

In ecological pyramids, what does the energy pyramid show?

Answer 25

it shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level

Question 26

In ecological pyramids, what does the pyramid of numbers show?

Answer 26

shows the relative numbers of individuals at each trophic level

Question 27

In ecological pyramids, what does the biomass pyramid show?

Answer 27

shows the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level

Question 28

What are the four global cycles?

Answer 28

Water, carbon, nitrogen, phophorous

Question 29

What are the stages of the water cycle?

Answer 29

evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and precipitation

Question 30

What does the carbon cycle involve?

Answer 30

photosynthesis and respiration

Question 31

The nitrogen cycle relies on what organisms?

Answer 31

bacteria

Question 32

The phosphorus cycle involves the weathering of ____.

Answer 32

rock

Question 33

What are the ten major biomes?

Answer 33

tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, desert, temperate grassland, shrubland, temperate deciduous forest, coniferous forest (taiga), tundra