Unit B: Ecosystems and Population Change

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

the study of interactions between organisms and their living and non-living environment

Question 2

Abiotic Factor

Answer 2

a non-living factor that influences an organism

Question 3

Biotic Factor

Answer 3

a living factor that influences an organism

Question 4

Ecotone

Answer 4

a transition area between ecosystems

Question 5

Artificial Ecosystem

Answer 5

an ecosystem that is planned or maintained by humans

Question 6

Natural Ecosystem

Answer 6

an ecosystem in which the interactions are not changed purposely by human actions

Question 7

Ecological Niche

Answer 7

an organisms role in an ecosystem, consisting of its place in the food web, its habitat, its breeding area, and the time of day at which it is most active

Question 8

Biome

Answer 8

a large geographical region with a specific range of temperatures and precipitation, and the organisms that are adapted to those conditions of temperature and precipitation

Question 9

Permafrost

Answer 9

permanently frozen soil

Question 10

Muskeg

Answer 10

soil above the permafrost that is swampy or boggy in the summer

Question 11

Littoral Zone

Answer 11

the area from the shore of a lake or pond to the point where no more plants grow in the bottom of the lake

Question 12

Limnetic Zone

Answer 12

the area of a lake or pond in which there is open water and sufficient light for photosynthesis to occur

Question 13

Profundal Zone

Answer 13

the region of a lake or pond beneath the limnetic zone, in which that is insufficient light for photosynthesis to occur

Question 14

Biotic Potential

Answer 14

the maximum number of offspring that a species could produce with unlimited resources

Question 15

Carrying Capacity

Answer 15

the maximum number of individuals of a species that can be supported by an ecosystem

Question 16

Oligotrophic

Answer 16

having low nutrient levels

Question 17

Eutrophic

Answer 17

having high nutrient levels

Question 18

Watershed

Answer 18

the land that drains toward a lake or other body of water

Question 19

Taxonomy

Answer 19

the science of classification according to the inferred (presumed) relationships among organisms

Question 20

Genus

Answer 20

the first part of a binomial name; a genus includes several species

Question 21

Species

Answer 21

a group of organisms that look alike and can interbreed under natural conditions to produce fertile offspring

Question 22

Taxa

Answer 22

categories used to classify organisms

Question 23

Biogeography

Answer 23

the study of the geographic distribution of life on Earth

Question 24

Endemic

Answer 24

a term used to describe a species that is only found in one location

Question 25

Homologous Features

Answer 25

features with similar structures but different functions

Question 26

Analogous

Answer 26

features that are similar in appearance and function, but do not appear to have the same evolutionary origin

Question 27

Vestigial Features

Answer 27

rudimentary structures with no useful function

Question 28

DNA

Answer 28

the molecule that makes up genetic material

Question 29

Gene

Answer 29

a segment of DNA that performs a specific function

Question 30

Artificial Selection

Answer 30

the process of humans selecting and breeding individuals with the desired traits

Question 31

Spontaneous Generation

Answer 31

the belief that living things arose from non-living matter

Question 32

Natural Selection

Answer 32

the result of differential reproductive success of individuals caused by variations in their inherited traits

Question 33

Mutation

Answer 33

a change in the DNA sequence in a chromosome

Question 34

Neutral Mutation

Answer 34

a mutation that has no effect on the organism

Question 35

Harmful Mutation

Answer 35

a mutation that reduces an organisms fitness

Question 36

Fitness

Answer 36

an organisms reproductive success

Question 37

Beneficial Mutation

Answer 37

a mutation that enhances an organism's fitness

Question 38

Asexual Reproduction

Answer 38

the production of an offspring from a single parent; offspring inherit the genes of that parent only

Question 39

Sexual Reproduction

Answer 39

the production of offspring by the union of sex cells from two different parents; the offspring inherit a combination of genes from both parents

Question 40

Speciation

Answer 40

the formation of a new species

Question 41

Allopatric Speciation

Answer 41

the formation of a new species (speciation) by reproductive isolation

Question 42

Gradualism (theory)

Answer 42

the idea that the formation of a new species (speciation) takes place slowly

Question 43

Punctuated Equilibrium (theory)

Answer 43

the idea that species evolve rapidly, followed by a period of little or no change

Question 44

Divergent Evolution

Answer 44

evolution into many different species

Question 45

Population

Answer 45

a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same habitat or ecosystem at the same time

Question 46

Community

Answer 46

all the organisms of various species that share a habitat or ecosystem

Question 47

Ecosystem

Answer 47

a community and its physical and chemical environment