UNITY TEST 5 STUDY GUIDE Flashcards
Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and the living and nonliving components of their environment
What are the levels of life
Biosphere Ecosystem Community Population Organism
Interdependence
All organisms depend on one another to survive through interactions
Ecological models
A representation of the components of an ecological system
Biosphere
The most inclusive level of life, sorounds in the atmosphere
Ecosystems
The smaller units of the biosphere including all organisms and the non living environment found in a particular place
Communities
All of the interacting organisms living in an area, specifically in an ecosystem
Population
Including all members of one species that live in an ecosystem
Organism
The individual organism in a population
Habitat
The place where an organism lives
Niche
The way of life of a species in its environment
Abiotic Factors
Non-living components of an environment
Biotic Factors
Living components of an environment
Consumers
All animals who consume other organisms or organic wastes
Producers
Organisms that produce their own food (Plants)
Carnivores
Animals that eat other consumers
Herbivores
Animals that eat plants
Detritivores
Animals that feed off of the garbage in an environment
Omnivores
Animals that eat both plants and animals
.Biomass
the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.
Carbon cycle
The recycling of carbon in the environment
Nitrogen cycle
The cycle of nitrogen being recycled throughout the environment
Nitrogen fixation
The process of converting N2 gas to nitrate
Trophic levels
Indication of the organism’s position in a sequence of energy transfers
Biogeochemical cycles
Non living substances passing through the environment
Water cycle
The cycle in which water evaporates and returns to the environment
Phosphorus cycle
The movement of Phosphorus from environment to organisms and then back to the environment (Phosphorus is essential to form bones, teeth, and parts of molecules such as DNA and RNA )
Carrying Capacity
the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation
How many people live in developing countries
80 percent
How many people live in developed countries
20 percent
Animal and plant adaptations
Natural adaptations of animals and plants to help them survive
Interspecific competition
A type of interaction in which two or more species use the same limited recourse
Competitive exclusion
When two organisms have control over one resource or share one resource
Parasitism
When one organism benefits while the other is harmed
Mutualism
Both organisms benefit
Symbiosis
A close long term relationship between two organisms.
Commensalism
One organism benefits but the other organsim is neither helped nor harmed
Primary succession
The development of a community in an area that has not supported life previously
Secondary Succession
The sequential replacement of species that follows disruption of an existing community
Climax community
The final sustainable community
Pioneer species
The species or organisms that predominate early in succession
Biome
Very large climatic regions that contain a number of smaller but related ecosystems within them
Earth’s Layers
Crust Upper Mantle Mantle Outer Core Core
Biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Tundra
A cold treeless biome characterized by Permafrost (A permanent frozen layer of soil under the surface
Taiga
A forested biome dominated by coniferous trees and characterized by long winters and short summers
Temperate Forest
Forests that occur in eastern North America and central Europe and are characterized by distinct seasons and moderate climates and coniferous tress and deciduous trees
Tropical Forest
Forests that occur near the center of the equator and are some of the most biologically diverse biomes on the planet, characterized by rainy seasons and dry seasons
Temperate Grasslands
Grasslands that are too dry to support trees and are characterized by dry climates
Savana
Tropical or temperate grasslands that have scattered deciduous trees and shrubs
Desert
Biomes characterized by rolling sand dunes and almost no trees
Chaparral
A biome that is dominated by dense spiny shrubs and has scattered clumps of coniferous trees
Photic
The part of the ocean that recieves sunlight is the photic zone
Aphotic
The zone where sunlight cannot penetrate and photosynthesis is no longer possible
Benthic
The ocean bottom
Pelagic
the open ocean
Intertidal zone
The point where the ocean meets land
Neritic zone
the neritic zone is the most productive zone in the ocean and is located in mostly shallow water where photosynthesis is possible
Oceanic
The oceanic zone encompasses the deepest parts of the ocean zone an d contains few specie than the neritic zone does
Estuaries
A mix of salt and freshwater
Eutrophic Lakes
Freshwater bodies of water and are rich in organic matter and vegetation
Oligotrophic lakes
Contain little organic matter and the water is much clearer
Rivers/streams
A body of freshwater that flows down a gradual slope
Wetlands
Areas of land that are covered with freshwater for at least part of each year
Extinction
The death of every member in a species
Endangered
In threat of extinction
Biological Magnification
The rising threat of a chemical the farther up it moves in the food chain
Keystone species
A species that effects many others
Bioindicator
Animals that are very sensitive to biological change
Chlorofluorocarbons
CFS, destructive chemicals that affect the ozone
Smog
Water mixed with chemicals
Pollution
Substances that harm the environment
Biodiversity hotspots
Regions that contain 44 percent of all species of vascular plants and 35 percent of other four groups of invertebrates
