Section 1 Flashcards
What is the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment?
What is ecology.
What is one way alligators and other organisms interact?
1) alligators dig holes.
2) alligators escape from the heat.
3) alligators swim.
4) fish use holes dug by alligators.
D! Fish use holes dug by alligators.
What do you call the part of the environment in which all of the organisms that live together and interact with one another?
The biotic part of the environment.
What do you call the part of the environment that consists of the non-living factors, such as air, water, temperature, soil and light?
The abiotic part of the environment.
Is an alligator biotic or abiotic?
An alligator is biotic.
Is a gar biotic or abiotic?
A gar is biotic.
Is the temperature biotic or abiotic?
Abiotic.
Is water biotic or abiotic?
Abiotic.the ocean, the air, and all areas of the Earth where life is are all parts of the __________ level of organization.
Are plants biotic or abiotic?
Biotic.
Are rocks biotic or abiotic?
Abiotic.
A group of seaside sparrows competing for food, nesting space and mates in a salt marsh is an example of the _________ level of environmental organization.
Population.
List the four species in the salt marsh community.
Seaside sparrows, periwinkle snails, marsh crabs and cordgrass.
List three ways that species in the salt marsh community use cordgrass.
Seaside sparrows use it to build nests.
Periwinkle snails eat algae that grow on the cordgrass.
Marsh crabs eat cordgrass.
An ecosystem is made up of a community of organisms and the __________ parts of the environment such as temperature, soil & water.
Abiotic
Put these 5 levels of Environmental organization In order from smallest to largest. Population biosphere individual organism ecosystem community
Individual organism Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere
This consists of all of the populations of species that live and interact in an area.
Community
Within the salt marsh, Each animal is part of a ________ or a group of individuals of the same species that live together
Population.
An ________ is made up of a community of organisms and the abiotic environment of the community.
Ecosystem.
The __________ is the part of the earth where life exists it extends from the deepest parts of the ocean to High in the air where plant spores drift.
Biosphere.
To survive living things need
a) grasslands b) energy c) clothing or d) species
B) energy
What 3 groups can animals be divided into based on how they get energy?
The three groups of animals are 1) producers 2) consumers 3) decomposers
Organisms that use sunlight directly to make food are called ________
Producers
Producers use a process called ________ to make food
Photosynthesis
Herbivores carnivores and omnivores that eat other organisms are known as ___________
Consumers
A consumer that only eats plants is a _________
Herbivore
A consumer that only eats animals is a _________
Carnivore
A consumer that eats plants and animals is called a __________
Omnivore
An example of a herbivore is a_________
Prairie dog
An example of an omnivore is a
Grasshopper mouse
Omnivores that eat dead plants and animals are called
Scavengers
Organisms that breakdown dead organisms to get energy are called
Decomposers
List two decomposers
Bacteria and fungi
A simple diagram that shows how energy in food flows from one organism to another is a
Food chain
A food chain does not show energy connections in nature as accurately as a food _________ does
Web
In food webs and food chains does the arrow point toward the plant or animal doing the eating or the one that is eaten
The animal doing the eating
List the two main food webs on earth
Land and aquatic food web
Why isn’t all of the energy that grass gets from sunlight passed on to the prairie dogs that eat the grass
Because grass uses some energy for itself
The diagram that shows an ecosystems loss of energy at each level of the food chain is known as
The energy pyramid
When gray wolves were wiped out as the wilderness was settled what happened to the grass and elk in some areas
The elk had an overpopulation which led to overgrazing and that left little grass for the other grass eating animals to live on
What effect does the US Fish and wildlife service think the return of wolves will have in Yellowstone National Park
They think the return of wolves will restore the natural energy flow in the area, bring populations back into balance, and help restore the park’s natural integrity
Why are ranchers near Yellowstone worried about wolves returning
They are worried about wolves because the wolves might eat their livestock
How have three populations of organisms changed since the reestablishment of wolves in Yellowstone National Park
Plants since last less elk are eating it, snowshoe hares because they have more plants to eat and foxes because there are more snowshoe hares that are surviving
In a natural community population sizes vary because
The populations all affect one another
When a frog lays hundreds of eggs in a small pond what happens to the population of frogs in the pond
The population stays the same because the frogs interact with the biotic and abiotic factors in the pond
A resource so scarce that it limits the size of a population is called a
Limiting factor
In what way can food become a limiting factor
When a population becomes too large for the amount of food available
The largest population that an environment can support is called it’s
Carrying capacity
What happens when a population grows larger than its carrying capacity
Limiting factors in the environment cause individuals to die off or leave
Ecologists have listed for ways that species and individuals affect each other
Competition
predator and prey
Symbiosis and
Coevolution
Clownfish live among the venomous tentacles of the sea anemone they are protected from predators and they keep the Sea anemone clean. What is this called
Mutualism
Barnacles attach themselves to the shells of crabs. the barnacles receive a home the crab is unaffected what is this called
Commensalism
Bees use flower nectar for food and they carry flower pollen to other flowers allowing the flower to reproduce
Mutualism
Dutch Elm disease is caused by a fungus that grows and feeds on Elm trees the fungus destroys the trees what is this called
Parasitism
Orchids grow in tree branches they receive light and their roots get water from the air. the tree is not affected what is this called
Commensalism
Small mites live on your skin eating dead skin cells. you don’t even notice. what is this called
Commensalism
Lichens are composed of a fungus and alga. the alga makes food through photosynthesis the fungus absorbs water and minerals from the environment. the food and water are both used by the fungus and the alga. What is this called
Mutualism
Tapeworms live in the intestines of cats and absorb nutrients from the food the cats eat. the cats do not get enough nutrients. what is this called
Parasitism
When two or more individuals or populations try to use the same resource it is called what
Competition
Give an example of competition between individuals within a population and of competition between populations
The Elks in Yellowstone National Park are herbivores that compete with each other for the same food plants in the park
What word is used for an organism that eats another organism
Predator
What word is used for an organism that is eaten
Prey
List two adaptation’s predators use to catch prey
Speed and some ambushed their prey
This two ways prey have adapted to avoid predators
Prey can run away and camouflage themselves
Give two examples of animals using defensive chemicals against predators
The skunk and the bombardier beetle
How can being bright red, yellow or orange help an animal avoid predators
Because they won’t eat them if they have patterns associated with pain illness or unpleasant experiences
A close long-term association between two or more species is called
Symbiosis
What are The three types of symbiosis
Mutualism commensalism and parasitism
Both Organisms benefit in the type of symbiosis called
Mutualism
When one organism benefits and the other is unaffected the symbiotic relationship is called
Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed is called
Parasitism
And parasitism the organism that benefits is called the
Parasite
The organism that is harmed by a parasite is called the
Host
Do most parasites kill their hosts why or why not
No because if they do that means they have to find another host
What name is given to a long-term change that takes place in two species because of their close interactions with one another
Convolution. The ant and the Aciacia tree are a good example because the ants protect the tree and the tree feeds the ants
Describe an example of coevolution between a flower and it’s pollinator
An example is a bat and a flower. the bat gets pollen on it after visiting the flower the next flower the bat goes to will have the other plant’s pollen. the flower will repopulate
