unit 7- ecology (34,35,36.4,&36.5)

Question 1

Abiotic factors

Answer 1

Non living physical or chemical condition in an environment

Question 2

Biotic factors

Answer 2

Any living part of an environment

Question 3

Ecology

Answer 3

Scientific study of the interactions among organisms and their environments

Question 4

What are the 5 levels of relationships among biotic and abiotic factors?

Answer 4

• individual organisms
• populations
• communities
• ecosystem
• biosphere

Question 5

population

Answer 5

group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area at the same time

Question 6

community

Answer 6

all the organisms living in an area

Question 7

ecosystem

Answer 7

community of living things plus the nonliving features of the environment that support them

Question 8

biosphere

Answer 8

all the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of all Earth’s ecosystems

Question 9

microclimate

Answer 9

climate in a specific area that varies from the surrounding climate region

Question 10

Uneven Heating of Earth’s Surface

Answer 10

regions on Earth’s surface farther from the equator absorb less heat and generally experience cooler temperatures than regions closer to the equator

Question 11

biome

Answer 11

major type of terrestrial ecosystem that covers a large region of Earth

Question 12

photic zones

Answer 12

regions of a body of water where light penetrates, enabling photosynthesis

Question 13

aphotic zone

Answer 13

deep areas of a body of water where light levels are too low to support photosynthesis

Question 14

population density

Answer 14

number of individuals of a particular species per unit area or volume

Question 15

exponential growth

Answer 15

growth of a population that multiplies by a constant factor at constant time intervals

Question 16

carrying capacity

Answer 16

number of organisms in a population that an environment can maintain

Question 17

density-dependent factor

Answer 17

factor that limits a population more as population density increases

Question 18

density-independent factor

Answer 18

factor unrelated to population density that limits a population

Question 19

limiting factor

Answer 19

condition that restricts a population’s growth, such as space, disease, and food availability

Question 20

symbiotic relationship

Answer 20

close interaction between species in which one species lives in or on the other

Question 21

parasitism

Answer 21

relationship in which a parasitic organism obtains its food at the expense of a host organism

Question 22

mutualism

Answer 22

type of symbiotic relationship in which both organisms involved benefit

Question 23

commensalism

Answer 23

symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits, while the other organism is neither harmed nor helped

Question 24

interspecific competition

Answer 24

competition between species that depend on the same limited resource

Question 25

ecological succession

Answer 25

series of changes in the species in a community, often following a disturbance

Question 26

primary succession

Answer 26

process by which a community arises in a virtually lifeless area with no soil

Question 27

secondary succession

Answer 27

change following a disturbance that damages an existing community but leaves the soil intact

Question 28

biodiversity

Answer 28

variety of life on Earth

Question 29

deforestation

Answer 29

clearing of forests for agriculture, lumber, or other uses

Question 30

global warming

Answer 30

rise in Earth’s average temperature

Question 31

eutrophication

Answer 31

rapid growth of algae in bodies of water, due to high levels of nitrogen and often phosphate

Question 32

acid rain

Answer 32

precipitation that contains nitric and/or sulfuric acids

Question 33

pollution

Answer 33

addition of substances to the environment that result in a negative effect

Question 34

ozone

Answer 34

atmospheric gas (O3) that absorbs ultraviolet radiation, shielding organisms from its damaging effects