biology chapter 14

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

Question 2

abiotic

Answer 2

physical environment which includes climate, temperature, availability of ight and water and the local topology

Question 3

biotic

Answer 3

all living things which directly or indirectly influence the life of the organism including the relationships that exist between organisms

Question 4

organism

Answer 4

is the individual unit of an ecological system, but the organism itself is composed of smaller units.

Question 5

population

Answer 5

is a group of organisms of the same species living together in a given location

Question 6

species

Answer 6

is any group of similar organisms that are capable of reproducing

Question 7

community

Answer 7

consists of populations of different plants and animal species interacting with each other in a given environment

Question 8

ecosystem

Answer 8

encompasses the interaction between living biotic communities and the non living environment

Question 9

biosphere

Answer 9

includes all portions of the planet which support life– the atmosphere, the lithosphere (rock and soil surface) and the hydrosphere (the oceans)

Question 10

water

Answer 10

is the major component of the internal environment of all living things. May be readily available or the organism may possess adaptations for storage and conservation of water

Question 11

temperature

Answer 11

must be maintained at an optimal level

Question 12

sunlight

Answer 12

is the ultimate source of energy for all organisms

Question 13

photic zone

Answer 13

the top layer through which light can penetrate & where all aquatic photosynthetic activity takes place

Question 14

aphotic zone

Answer 14

only animal life and other life that does not require photosynthesis exist

Question 15

substratum

Answer 15

determines the nature of plant and animal life in the soil. Soil is affected by acidity, texture, minerals, and humus

Question 17

texture

Answer 17

determine the water holding capacity of the soil

Question 18

loams

Answer 18

contain high percentages of each type of soil

Question 19

minerals

Answer 19

affect the type of vegetation that can be supported

Question 20

humus quantity

Answer 20

determined by the amount of decaying plant and animal life in the soil

Question 21

niche

Answer 21

defines the functional role of an organism in its ecosystem

Question 22

habitat

Answer 22

is the physical place where an organism lives

Question 23

extinction

Answer 23

one species may be competitively superior to the other and drive the second

Question 24

autotrophs

Answer 24

are organisms that manufacture their own food

Question 25

heterotrophs

Answer 25

cannot synthesize their own food and must depend upon autotrophs or other heterotrophs in the ecosystem to obtain food and energy

Question 26

herbivores

Answer 26

are animals that consume only plants or plant foods

Question 27

symbiotic bacteria

Answer 27

capable of digesting cellulose inhabit the digestive tracts of herbivores and allow the breakdown and utilization of cellulose

Question 28

carnivores

Answer 28

are animals which only eat other animals. Possess pointed teeth and fang like canine teeth for tearing flesh. They have shorter digestive tracts due to the easier digestibility of animal food

Question 29

omnivores

Answer 29

are animals which eat both plants and animals

Question 30

integrated system

Answer 30

which are dependent upon one another for survival

Question 32

obligatory

Answer 32

one or both organisms cannot survive without the other

Question 33

commensalism

Answer 33

one organism is benefited by the association and the other is not affected. The host neither discourages nor fosters the relationship

Question 34

mutualism

Answer 34

a symbiotic relationship from which both organisms derive some benefit

Question 35

parasitism

Answer 35

benefits at the expense of the host. Flourishes among organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and animals

Question 36

ectoparasites

Answer 36

some parasites cling to the exterior surface of the host using suckers or clamps

Question 37

endoparasites

Answer 37

live within the host

Question 38

predators

Answer 38

are free living organisms which feed on other living organisms

Question 39

saprophytism

Answer 39

include those protists and fungi that decompose (digest) dead organic matter externally and absorb the nutrients; they constitute a vital link in the cycling of material within the ecosystem

Question 40

scavengers

Answer 40

are animals which consume dead animals. Require no adaptations for hunting and killing their prey

Question 41

interspecific

Answer 41

relations between species

Question 42

osmoregulation

Answer 42

animals have developed many adaptations for maintaining their internal osmolarity and conserving water

Question 43

salt water fish

Answer 43

live in a hyperosmotic environment which causes them to lose water and take in salt. They are constantly in danger of dehydration and must compensate by constant drinking and active excretion of salt across their gills

Question 44

freshwater fish

Answer 44

live in a hypoosmotic environment which causes intake of excess water and excessive salt loss. These fish correct this condition by seldom drinking, absorbing salts through the gills and excreting dilute urine

Question 45

poikilothermic

Answer 45

cold blooded and most of their heat escapes to the environment

Question 46

homeothermic

Answer 46

are warm blooded.

Question 47

producers

Answer 47

they utilize the energy of the sun and simple raw materials (carbon dioxide, water, minerals) to manufacture carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. Always form the initial step in any food chain

Question 48

primary consumers

Answer 48

are animals which consume green plants (herbivores)

Question 49

secondary consumers

Answer 49

are animals that consume the primary consumer (carnivores)

Question 50

tertiary consumers

Answer 50

these are animls that feed on secondary consumers

Question 51

decomposers

Answer 51

include saprophytic organisms and organisms of decay (which include bacteria and fungi).

Question 52

pyramid of energy

Answer 52

each member of a food chain utilizes some of the energy it obtains from its food for its own metabolism (life functions) and loses some additional energy in the form of heat

Question 53

pyramid of mass

Answer 53

since organisms at the upper levels of the food chain derive their food energy from organisms at lower levels, and since energy is lost from one level to the next, each level can support a successively smaller biomass

Question 54

pyramid of numbers

Answer 54

consumer organisms that are higher in the food chain are usually larger and heavier than those further down. Since the lower organisms have a greater total mass, there must be a greater number of lower level organisms

Question 55

material cycles

Answer 55

material is cycled and recycled between organisms and their environment, passing from inorganic forms to organic forms and then back to the inorganic forms

Question 56

nitrogen cycle

Answer 56

since there is a finite amount of nitrogen on the earth, it is important that it be recovered and reused

Question 57

climax community

Answer 57

is the stable, living (biotic) part of te ecosystem described above in which populations exist in balance with each other and with the environment. They type of climax community depends upon all the abiotic factors: rainfall, soil conditions, temperatures, shade, etc.

Question 58

ecological succession

Answer 58

is the orderly process by which one biotic community replaces or succeeds another until a climax community is established

Question 59

sere

Answer 59

each community stage

Question 60

dominant species

Answer 60

the one that exerts control over the other species that are present

Question 61

physical factors

Answer 61

temperature, nature of the soil, rainfall, etc

Question 62

climax vegetation

Answer 62

is the vegetation that becomes dominant and stable after years of evolutionary development

Question 63

desert biome

Answer 63

receive less than ten inches of rain each year. Growing season in the desert is restricted to those days after rainfalls. Most desert plants conserve water actively. Desert animals live in burrows.

Question 64

grassland biome

Answer 64

grasslands are characterized by a low rainfall. Provide no shelter for herbivorous mammals from carnivorous predators.

Question 65

tropical rain forest biome

Answer 65

rain forests are "jungles" characterized by high temperatures and torrential rains. Trees grow closely together; sunlight hardly reaches the forest floor.

Question 66

temperate deciduous forest biome

Answer 66

have cold winters, warm summers and a moderate rainfall.

Question 67

temperate coniferous forest biome

Answer 67

these forests are cold, dry, and inhabited by fir, pine , and spruce trees. Much of the vegetation has evolved adaptations for water conservation such as needle-shaped leaves

Question 68

taiga biome

Answer 68

receive less rainfall than the temperate forests, have long cold winters, and are inhabited by a single coniferous tree-the spruce

Question 69

tundra biome

Answer 69

the tundra is a treeless, frozen plain found between the taiga lands and the Northern ice-sheets. There is only a very short summer and, thus, a very short growing season during which time the ground becomes wet and marshy

Question 70

polar region

Answer 70

the polar region is a frozen area with no vegetation and terrestrial animals. Animals that do inhabit polar regions generally live near the polar oceans

Question 71

marine biomes

Answer 71

contain a relatively constant amount of nutrient materials and dissolved salts

Question 72

intertidal zone

Answer 72

region exposed at low tides which undergoes variations in temperature and periods of dryness. Populations in the intertidal zones include algae, sponges, clams, snails, sea urchins, starfish, and crabs

Question 73

littoral zone

Answer 73

region on the continental shelf which contains ocean area with depths up to 600 feet and extends several hundred miles from the shores. Populations in littoral zone regions include algae, crabs, crustacea, and many different species of fish

Question 74

pelagic zone

Answer 74

is typical of the open seas and can be divided into photic and aphotic zones

Question 75

photic zone

Answer 75

the sunlit layer of the open sea extending to a depth of 250-600 feet. It contains plankton; passively drifting masses of microscopic photosynthetic and heterotrophic organisms, and nekton; active swimmers such as fish, sharks, or whales which feed on plankton and smaller fish. the chief autotroph is the diatom, an algae

Question 76

aphotic zone

Answer 76

the region beneath the photic zone which recieves no sunlight. There is no photosynthesis in the aphotic zone and only heterotrophs exist here. Deep sea organisms in this zone have adaptations enabling them to survive in very cold water, with high pressures, and complete darkness. the zone contains nekton and benthos (the crawling and sessile organisms). some are scavengers and some are predators. the habitat of the aphotic zone is fiercely competitive