Unit 4

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment, study of ecosystems

Question 2

Biotic factors

Answer 2

any living part of an environment

Question 3

Abiotic factors

Answer 3

any non-living part of an environment

Question 4

habitat

Answer 4

where an organism lives

Question 5

niche

Answer 5

how an organism makes a living; how it “fits into” its ecosystem. Describes everything about the organism biotic and abiotic factors, place in food web, competition, habitat, what it eats, what eats it

Question 6

All energy flows in…

Answer 6

one direction though ecosystems

Question 7

Producers/ Autotrophs

Answer 7

make their own food using energy from sunlight or chemicals through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis

Question 8

Photosynthesis

Answer 8

process of turning the sun’s energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.

Question 9

chemosynthesis

Answer 9

process by which organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates (energy) for themselves. Live near volcanic ocean vents and hot springs

Question 10

Heterotrophs/ Consumers

Answer 10

cannot make their own food and rely on other organisms for their energy and food supple.

Question 11

Herbivores

Answer 11

primary consumers, feed only on plants or other producers

Question 12

Carnivores

Answer 12

Secondary consumer, feed only off of animals

Question 13

Omnivores

Answer 13

Eat both plants and animals

Question 14

Decomposers

Answer 14

Break down organic matter (bacteria break down the dead body of an animal and return the nutrients to the soil. Those nutrients are later used by producers to grow.)

Question 15

Scavengers

Answer 15

Consume animals killed by predators or have died of other causes.

Question 16

Food Chain

Answer 16

series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Question 17

Food web

Answer 17

several food chains linked toegther in an ecosystem. Complex, take out one part, whole web could fall apart. Show how energy is being trasfered

Question 18

Trophic levels

Answer 18

Each step in a food chain is called a trophic level

Question 19

How is energy lost?

Answer 19

Energy is lost as heat or used by the organisms for movement, digestion, reproduction etc. All energy is moved from the sun to living things to heat energy.

Question 20

Energy pyramid

Answer 20

the amount of energy (kcal) at each trophic level.

Producers take in the most energy by doing photosynthesis. They create all the original calories for a food chain

Each time energy is passed up the food chain only about 10% actually moves on. Most is used by the organism, excreted or lost as heat energy.

Question 21

Biomass pyramid

Answer 21

The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called biomass. Grams/meter^2

A biomass pyramid represents the amount of potential food available for each trophic level in an ecosystem

The top trophic levels always have the least biomass

Question 22

Numbers Pyramid

Answer 22

count the number of organisms at each trophic level

sometimes they are diamond shaped instead of pyramids because there is only one really large producer

Question 23

Is matter recycled?

Answer 23

matter is recycled within and between various ecosystems.

Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids are made mostly with CHONPS. These elements can move through the atmosphere, rock, soil, animals, plants, bacteria, ocean, etc. never created, never destroyed, just moved around.

Question 24

Carbon cycle

Answer 24

1. Carbon is taken up by plants in the form of Carbon Dioxide and is used to make carbon-rich Glucose through photosynthesis.
2. Animals eat the plants and thus pass the glucose through the food web.
3. All organisms break down the glucose by performing cellular respiration. this releases the carbon back into the atmosphere as CO2
4. Decomposing organisms and feces also release Carbon Dioxide

Question 25

Fossil Fuels

Answer 25

Fossil fuels are deep underground (oil, coal, natural gas) This carbon rich matter is made from plants and animals that decomposed millions of years ago.

Question 26

Combustion

Answer 26

humans extract and burn fossil fuels which releases a large amount of CO2 back into the atmosphere.

Question 27

Carbon dioxide is also released through volcanic eruptions.

Question 28

The oceans both store and release very large amounts of CO2. An overabundance of CO2 in recent years has led to coral bleaching.

Question 29

predation

Answer 29

predator hunts and kills prey “short term relationship”

Question 30

Symbiosis

Answer 30

Any relationship where two organisms are living closely with each other for a period of time

Question 31

mutualism

Answer 31

both species benefit from the relationship

Question 32

commensalism

Answer 32

first organism benefited and the other was not affected

Question 33

parasitism

Answer 33

first organism benefited and the other organism is harmed.

Question 34

Ecological succession

Answer 34

series of changed that occur in a community over time

Question 35

primary succession

Answer 35

succession that occurs on surfaces when no soil exists, new islands, lava rock

Question 36

pioneer species

Answer 36

the first species to populate the area after primary succession. Moss, lichens, on volcanic rock

Question 37

Seral stages:

Answer 37

the transitory plant communities that develop in an area during ecological succession from bare ground to the climax stage

Question 38

climax community

Answer 38

the final stage of ecological succession for the plant community. most developed.

Question 39

Secondary succession

Answer 39

disturbance of some kind that changes an existing community without removing soil. Abandoned farmland, wildfires

Returns to the climax stage much faster

Some plants require fire in order to grow so natural wildfires are actually helpful to many ecosystems