VOCAB Topic 4.1 Species --> Ecosystems

Question 1

species

Answer 1

a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile, viable offspring

Question 2

population

Answer 2

group of organisms of the same species, living in the same area at the same time

Question 3

community

Answer 3

a group of different populations living together and interacting in a given area

Question 4

habitat

Answer 4

the environment in which a species lives or the normal location of an organism

Question 5

ecosystem

Answer 5

a community and also its environment, all biotic and abiotic factors

Question 6

positive association

Answer 6

species that are always found in the same habitat i.e. predator/pray relationships, symbiotic interaction

Question 7

negative association

Answer 7

species who do not share the same habitat i.e. competition

Question 8

autotrophs

Answer 8

synthesize organic molecules from inorganic nutrients within the environment, using energy from light (photoautotrophs) or oxidation reactions (chemoautotrophs)

Question 9

heterotrophs

Answer 9

obtain their organic molecules from other organisms via a variety of feeding methods and food sources - dependent on autotrophs

Question 10

consumers

Answer 10

heterotrophs that ingest other living organisms

Question 11

detritivores

Answer 11

heterotrophs that ingest detritus and humus i.e. decomposing matter and feces

Question 12

saprotrophs

Answer 12

heterotrophs that externally digest dead organisms (decomposers)

Question 13

mesocosms

Answer 13

enclosed environments with controlled conditions i.e. terrariums that can be used to study sustainability

Question 14

quadrant sampling

Answer 14

presence of a species in a given area can be determined via quadrant sampling to assess sessile/non-motile species

Question 15

chi-squared test

Answer 15

applied to quadrant sampling data to determine if there’s a statistically significant association between the distribution of two species