Introduction to Ecology Flashcards
what is ecology?
the study of interaction between organisms and their environments
What is a biosphere?
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.
Biotic vs abiotic
biotic is living. abiotic is nonliving
What is a population?
a summation of all the organisms of the same group or species, which live in the same geographical area
What is a community?
interacting group of various species in a common location
What is an ecoystem
a community of living organisms and its abiotic environment
What is a biome?
A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region.
What is the order Ecological levels of organization?
Individual–>Population–>Community–>Ecosystem–>Biome–>Biosphere
Difference between a habitat and a niche
a habitat is where an organism or a community of organisms lives, whereas a niche is an organisms role in a habitat
Describe competition
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.
Describe predation
predation is a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey
Is grass prey?
NO, STUPID
Types of symbiotic relationships
Mutalism, Commensalism, Parasitism
Describe mutualism
symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved. Ex: flowers and bees
Describe commensalism
an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Ex: remoras and sharks
Describe parasitism
non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.
Ex: tapeworm and human
Autotroph definition
an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances
Heterotroph definition
an organism deriving its nutritional from organic substances.
Herbivore defintion
eats plants
carnivore defintion
eats meat
omnivore definition
eats plants and meats
detrivore definition
eats organic waste (dead things)
Difference between food chain and food web?
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
How much energy moved up the ecological pyramid?
10%
In ecological pyramids, what does the energy pyramid show?
it shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level
In ecological pyramids, what does the pyramid of numbers show?
shows the relative numbers of individuals at each trophic level
In ecological pyramids, what does the biomass pyramid show?
shows the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level
What are the four global cycles?
Water, carbon, nitrogen, phophorous
What are the stages of the water cycle?
evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and precipitation
What does the carbon cycle involve?
photosynthesis and respiration
The nitrogen cycle relies on what organisms?
bacteria
The phosphorus cycle involves the weathering of ____.
rock
What are the ten major biomes?
tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, desert, temperate grassland, shrubland, temperate deciduous forest, coniferous forest (taiga), tundra
