4- ecology and the environment

Question 1

population definition

Answer 1

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

Question 2

community definition

Answer 2

all the different populations of organisms living and interacting in the same area at the same time

Question 3

habitat definition

Answer 3

the place where an organism lives

Question 4

ecosystem definition

Answer 4

a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) in a particular area, interacting with each other and their non-living environment (abiotic factors)

Question 5

biodiversity definition

Answer 5

the variety of life in an ecosystem, encompassing the number of different species and the variation within those species

Question 6

What is ecology?

Answer 6

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Question 7

Define an ecosystem.

Answer 7

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Question 8

What are biotic factors?

Answer 8

Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Question 9

What are abiotic factors?

Answer 9

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms.

Question 10

True or False: Energy flows through an ecosystem in a one-way direction.

Answer 10

True.

Question 11

What is a food chain?

Answer 11

A linear sequence of organisms where nutrients and energy pass from one to another.

Question 12

What is a food web?

Answer 12

A complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Question 13

Fill in the blank: Producers convert _____ energy into chemical energy.

Answer 13

solar.

Question 14

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Answer 14

They break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the soil.

Question 15

What is biodiversity?

Answer 15

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Question 16

Why is biodiversity important?

Answer 16

It helps ecosystems function effectively and provides resilience against environmental changes.

Question 17

True or False: Predators are always larger than their prey.

Answer 17

False.

Question 18

What is symbiosis?

Answer 18

A close and long-term interaction between two different species.

Question 19

List the three types of symbiotic relationships.

Answer 19

Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Question 20

What is mutualism?

Answer 20

A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Question 21

What is commensalism?

Answer 21

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Question 22

What is parasitism?

Answer 22

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Question 23

What is carrying capacity?

Answer 23

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support sustainably.

Question 24

Fill in the blank: The _____ cycle describes the movement of water through the environment.

Answer 24

water.

Question 25

What is an adaptation?

Answer 25

A characteristic that enhances an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Question 26

What is primary succession?

Answer 26

The process of ecological change that occurs in an area where no soil exists.

Question 27

What is secondary succession?

Answer 27

The process of ecological change that occurs in an area where soil remains after a disturbance.

Question 28

True or False: Trophic levels represent the hierarchy of energy transfer in an ecosystem.

Answer 28

True.

Question 29

What is a trophic level?

Answer 29

Each step in a food chain or food web, representing a different level of energy transfer.

Question 30

What are apex predators?

Answer 30

Predators at the top of the food chain with no natural enemies.

Question 31

What is an invasive species?

Answer 31

A non-native species that spreads rapidly in a new environment and causes harm to native species.

Question 32

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 32

The warming of Earth's surface due to the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Question 33

What are greenhouse gases?

Answer 33

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Question 34

What is climate change?

Answer 34

Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.

Question 35

Fill in the blank: _____ is the process by which carbon is cycled through the environment.

Answer 35

Photosynthesis.

Question 36

True or False: Renewable resources can be replenished naturally over time.

Answer 36

True.

Question 37

What are non-renewable resources?

Answer 37

Resources that do not replenish at a sustainable rate, such as fossil fuels.

Question 38

What is pollution?

Answer 38

The introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment.

Question 39

What is biodiversity loss?

Answer 39

The decline in the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Question 40

What is conservation?

Answer 40

The sustainable management of natural resources to prevent depletion.

Question 41

What is an ecological footprint?

Answer 41

A measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems, representing the amount of natural capital used.

Question 42

What is sustainable development?

Answer 42

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 43

Fill in the blank: _____ is the variety of species within a given ecosystem.

Answer 43

Species diversity.

Question 44

What is habitat destruction?

Answer 44

The process in which natural habitat is rendered unable to support the species present.

Question 45

What is a population?

Answer 45

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

Question 46

What is a community in ecology?

Answer 46

A group of different species that live together in one area.

Question 47

What is overfishing?

Answer 47

The removal of fish from a body of water at a rate faster than they can reproduce.

Question 48

What is the role of phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems?

Answer 48

They are primary producers, forming the base of the aquatic food web.

Question 49

What is eutrophication?

Answer 49

The enrichment of water bodies with nutrients, often leading to excessive growth of algae and depletion of oxygen.

Question 50

True or False: All ecosystems are self-sustaining.

Answer 50

False.

Question 51

What is the role of fungi in ecosystems?

Answer 51

They decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Question 52

What is the significance of pollinators in ecosystems?

Answer 52

They facilitate the reproduction of flowering plants, which is crucial for food production and ecosystem health.

Question 53

What is the relationship between carbon dioxide levels and global temperature?

Answer 53

Increased carbon dioxide levels contribute to global warming and climate change.

Question 54

What is the role of the ozone layer?

Answer 54

To protect the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Question 55

What is carbon footprint?

Answer 55

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, or product.

Question 56

What is the significance of the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 56

It is essential for the production of amino acids and nucleic acids, which are vital for life.

Question 57

What is sustainable agriculture?

Answer 57

Farming practices that meet current food needs without compromising future generations' ability to produce food.

Question 58

What is a renewable resource example?

Answer 58

Solar energy.

Question 59

What is a non-renewable resource example?

Answer 59

Coal.

Question 60

What is the role of the carbon cycle?

Answer 60

To regulate the Earth's climate by controlling carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Question 61

how is carbon taken out of the atmosphere

Answer 61

by plants for photosynthesis, in the form of carbon dioxide

Question 62

how is carbon passed onto animals from plants

Answer 62

by feeding

Question 63

how is carbon returned to the atmosphere

Answer 63

in the form of carbon dioxide, by plants animals and microorganisms in respiration

Question 64

fossil fuels- how do they return carbon in the carbon cycle

Answer 64

when burnt- combustion

Question 65

what is reducing the amount of producers

Answer 65

mass deforestation

Question 66

what role do decomposers have in the nitrogen cycle

Answer 66

they break down the dead and decaying matter in the soil, and release into the atmosphere by respiration

Question 67

how does carbon get stored as fossil fuels

Answer 67

through the fossilisation of dead plants and animals in specific conditions