Vocab Chapter 2

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

The study of how organisms interact with each other and with their physical environment

Question 2

Organism

Answer 2

A single living thing; the first and simplest level of organization that ecologists study

Question 3

Habitat

Answer 3

The region in which an organism lives

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

All of the organisms of the same species that share a habitat; the second level of organization that ecologists study

Question 5

Community

Answer 5

All of the different populations in a particular area that interact with one another; the third level of organization that ecologists study

Question 6

Ecosystem

Answer 6

Includes the living community as well as the physical environment in which the organism live; the fourth and most complex level of organization that ecologists study

Question 7

Biosphere

Answer 7

The total area of Earth where living things are found; the narrow zone around Earth that supports life

Question 8

Biotic Factors

Answer 8

Any of the living components of an ecosystem; such factors include organisms like bacteria, plants, and animals, as well as the interactions between them

Question 9

Abiotic Factors

Answer 9

Any of the non-living components of an ecosystem; a non-living environment factor; such factors include the physical and chemical components in the environment

Question 10

Dynamic Equilibrium

Answer 10

Any system with constant change in which the components can adjust to the changes without disturbing the entire system

Question 11

Limiting Factor

Answer 11

The factor that is the most critical in determining the types of organisms that can exist in an ecosystem; an environmental factor that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population of organisms in an ecosystem

Question 12

Nutrients

Answer 12

The elements and compounds that organisms must have in order to grow and live; includes water, oxygen, vitamins, and minerals, as well as foods that provide fats, proteins, and carbohydrates

Question 13

Producer

Answer 13

An organism that makes its own food, usually using energy from the Sun in a process calluses photosynthesis; also called an autotroph

Question 14

Autotroph

Answer 14

Producer

Question 15

Phytoplankton

Answer 15

Microscopic algae that obtain energy through photosynthesis; they are found at the surface of oceans, seas, and freshwater bodies

Question 16

Consumer

Answer 16

An organism that consumes other organisms or biotic waste in order to survive; also called a heterotroph

Question 17

Heterotroph

Answer 17

A consumer

Question 18

Herbivore

Answer 18

An organism that eats plants; also called a primary consumer

Question 19

Primary Consumer

Answer 19

A herbivore

Question 20

Zooplankton

Answer 20

A type of microscopic plankton that can be found in oceans, seas, and freshwater bodies; feed on phytoplankton

Question 21

Carnivore

Answer 21

An organism that eats other animals

Question 22

Omnivore

Answer 22

An organism that eats both plants and animals

Question 23

Detrivore

Answer 23

A decomposer that feeds on the waste material in an ecosystem, including the bodies of other organisms that have died, plant depend, and animal feces

Question 24

Decomposer

Answer 24

A consumer that breaks down that complex molecules found in dead organisms and waste matter into simpler molecules

Question 25

Biodegration

Answer 25

The decay process that makes the nutrients contained in waste and dead matter available to producers once again

Question 26

Predation

Answer 26

An ecological interaction that occurs when a predator captures and consumes a prey

Question 27

Predator

Answer 27

An organism that lives by preying on other organisms

Question 28

Prey

Answer 28

An animal consumes for food by a predator

Question 29

Predator-prey Cycle

Answer 29

Describes the predator-prey relationship in terms of the effects on the size of both populations

Question 30

Symbiosis

Answer 30

A specialized form of interaction between two different species; often, each species develops very specialized behaviours, life cycles, or structures; includes mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism

Question 31

Mutualism

Answer 31

A symbiotic interaction in which both species obtain some benefit from the interaction

Question 32

Commensalism

Answer 32

A symbiotic interaction in which one organism benefits while the other is unaffected

Question 33

Parasitism

Answer 33

A symbiotic interaction where the parasite benefits at the expense of the host, which is often harmed but usually not killed

Question 34

Host

Answer 34

The organism that is harmed in a symbiotic parasitic relationship

Question 35

Parasite

Answer 35

The organism that benefits in a symbiotic parasitic relationship

Question 36

Trophic Level

Answer 36

Ba category of living things that describe the position of an organism in relation to the order of nutrients and energy transfer in an ecosystem; the first trophic level contains autotroph and each higher level contains heterotrophs

Question 37

Food Chain

Answer 37

A representation of the pathway taken by nutrients and energy through the trophic levels of an ecosystem

Question 38

Food Web

Answer 38

A representation of the nutrient and energy pathways in an ecosystem showing many cross-linked food chains

Question 39

Ecological Pyramid

Answer 39

A representation of energy flow in food chains and webs; also called a food pyramid

Question 40

Food Pyramid

Answer 40

An ecological pyramid

Question 41

Pyramid of Energy

Answer 41

An ecological pyramid that represents how much energy is available in each trophic level; the size of each level represents the amount of energy present in that trophic level

Question 42

Pyramid of Numbers

Answer 42

An ecological pyramid that represents the actual number of organisms present in each trophic level; the shape of a pyramid of numbers varies widely depending on the physical size of the producers

Question 43

Pyramid of Biomass

Answer 43

An ecological pyramid that represents a snapshot of the total mass of the living things at each trophic level in a community; for most communities, the pyramid of biomass has the standard pyramid shape