Terminology

Question 1

Autotroph

Answer 1

An organism at the base of a food chain that does not need to feed off of other organisms to survive

Question 2

Abiotic

Answer 2

The non-living factors in an ecosystem that impact and affect the ecosystem

Question 3

Biomass

Answer 3

The amount of living matter in a given habitat, expressed as the weight of organisms per unit area

Question 4

Biotic

Answer 4

The living organisms and factors in an ecosystem that impact and affect the ecosystem

Question 5

Biological Control

Answer 5

The reduction of pest population by using natural enemies

Question 6

Carbon Cycle

Answer 6

The process in which carbon travels from the atmosphere into organisms and the Earth and then back to the atmosphere

Question 7

Competition

Answer 7

Competition occurs when living organisms need the same limited resources as each other and have to battle to get it

Question 8

Consumer

Answer 8

An organism that relies on other organisms for food

Question 9

Chemical Control

Answer 9

The use of pesticides to reduce pest populations

Question 10

Community

Answer 10

A group or association of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at a particular time

Question 11

Commensalism

Answer 11

A type of relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is not harmed/unaffected

Question 12

Decomposer

Answer 12

Organisms that break down organic matter into inorganic material

Question 13

Detritivores

Answer 13

An organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the environment in the process

Question 14

Energy Pyrimad

Answer 14

A representation of the level of food energy at each level within a food chain

Question 15

Ecosystem

Answer 15

Communities of organisms that interact with each other and their environment

Question 16

Eutrophication

Answer 16

A form of water pollution involving an excess of nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates, resulting in algal blooms and possible death of fish and other organisms

Question 17

Energy Flow

Answer 17

The amount of energy that moves through a food chain

Question 18

Food Chain

Answer 18

Diagram that shows how the energy stored in one organism is passed to another

Question 19

Food Web

Answer 19

Diagram showing several food chains joined together to demonstrate animals eat more than one type of food

Question 20

Heterotroph

Answer 20

An organism that relies on other organisms for its food

Question 21

Herbivore

Answer 21

An animal that only eats plants for nutrients

Question 22

Introduced Species

Answer 22

An organism that has been released into an ecosystem in which it does not occur naturally

Question 23

Mutualism

Answer 23

A relationship between two different organisms in which both benefit from it

Question 24

Omnivore

Answer 24

An animal that eats both plants and animals for nutrients

Question 25

Photosynthesis

Answer 25

The food-making process in plants that takes place in chloroplasts within cells. The process uses carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun

Question 26

Producer

Answer 26

An organism at the base of a food chain that does need feed on other organisms and supplies all the other organisms with food

Question 27

Population Density

Answer 27

The measurement of population size per unit area

Question 28

Parasite

Answer 28

An organism that lives in or on another organism. The parasite benefits while usually harming the host

Question 29

Predator/Prey

Answer 29

A relationship between organisms in which one species (predator) kills and eats another species (prey)

Question 30

Population

Answer 30

Organisms of the same species that live in a particular geographic area at the same time, with the capability of interbreeding

Question 31

Quadrant

Answer 31

A plot of land used to mark off at random a physical area to isolate a sample and determine the percentage of organisms occurring within the marked area

Question 32

Symbiotic

Answer 32

Any diverse organisms that live together, but in this case, the relationship is not necessarily beneficial to both

Question 33

Trophic Level

Answer 33

The position that an organism occupies in a food chain - what it eats, and what eats it

Question 34

Tolerance Range

Answer 34

The range of environmental conditions, like temperature, oxygen level, that are tolerable for a species to survive in

Question 35

Transect

Answer 35

A tape or string laid along the ground in a straight line between two poles as a guide to a sampling method used to measure the distribution of organisms