Unit 2 List 1 Ecology IV

Question 1

Abiotic Factors

Answer 1

a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment.

Question 2

Autotrophs

Answer 2

an organism that can convert abiotic sources of energy into energy stored in organic compounds, which can be used by other organisms.

Question 3

Biotic Factors

Answer 3

living things within an ecosystem

Question 4

Bioaccumulation

Answer 4

an increase in the concentration of a chemical in a biological organism over time, compared to the chemical’s concentration in the environment.

Question 5

Carbon Sink

Answer 5

anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases

Question 6

Carnivore

Answer 6

an animal that feeds on other animals.

Question 7

Commensalism

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Competition

Answer 8

the activity or condition of competing.

Question 9

Consumer

Answer 9

an organism that gets its energy by eating plants or animals.

Question 10

Decomposer

Answer 10

an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.

Question 11

Ecosystem

Answer 11

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Question 12

Energy Pyramid

Answer 12

a model that shows the flow of energy from one trophic, or feeding, level to the next in an ecosystem.

Question 13

Food Chain

Answer 13

a linear network of links in a food web, often starting with an autotroph, also called a producer, and typically ending at an apex predator, detritivore, or decomposer.

Question 14

Food Web

Answer 14

consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem.

Question 15

Habitat

Answer 15

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Question 16

Herbivore

Answer 16

an organism that mostly feeds on plants.

Question 17

Heterotrophs

Answer 17

an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter.

Question 18

Leaching

Answer 18

the process of a solute becoming detached or extracted from its carrier substance by way of a solvent.

Question 19

Limiting Factor

Answer 19

a variable of a system that causes a noticeable change in output or another measure of a type of system.

Question 20

Mutualism

Answer 20

ecological interaction between two or more species where each species has a net benefit.

Question 21

Niche

Answer 21

the role an organism plays in a community

Question 22

Ocean Acidification

Answer 22

a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

Question 23

Omnivore

Answer 23

an organism that regularly consumes a variety of material, including plants, animals, algae, and fungi.

Question 24

Parasitism

Answer 24

the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism.

Question 25

Phytoplankton

Answer 25

the autotrophic components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems.

Question 26

Pioneer Species

Answer 26

resilient species that are the first to colonize barren environments, or to repopulate disrupted biodiverse steady-state ecosystems as part of ecological succession.

Question 27

Population

Answer 27

the term typically used to refer to the number of people in a single area.

Question 28

Predation

Answer 28

the preying of one animal on others.

Question 29

Predator

Answer 29

an animal that naturally preys on others.

Question 30

Prey

Answer 30

an animal that is caught and killed by another for food.

Question 31

Primary Succession

Answer 31

ecological succession in which plants and animals first colonize a barren, lifeless habitat.

Question 32

Producer

Answer 32

an organism that creates its own food or energy.

Question 33

Secondary Succession

Answer 33

where a disturbance did not eliminate all life and nutrients from the environment.

Question 34

Species Overshoot

Answer 34

Once a population exceeds carrying capacity

Question 35

Sustainability

Answer 35

Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.