Biology Ecology

Question 1

___ is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

Answer 1

ecology

Question 2

The ___ encompasses all that is external to the organism and is necessary for its existence

Answer 2

environment

Question 3

An organism’s environment contains two components: the physical or nonliving (___) environment, and the living (biotic) environment

Answer 3

abiotic

Question 4

The abiotic environment includes climate, ___, availability of light and water, and the local topology

Answer 4

temperature

Question 5

The ___ environment includes all living things that directly or indirectly influence the life of the organism, including the relationships that exist between organisms

Answer 5

biotic

Question 6

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

Answer 6

organism

Question 7

___ are formed from tissues, tissues from cells, cells from many different molecules, molecules from atoms, and atoms from subatomic particles

Answer 7

organs

Question 8

A ___ is any group of similar organisms that are capable of producing fertile offspring

Answer 8

species

Question 9

A ___ is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same habitat

Answer 9

population

Question 10

A niche defines the functional role of an organism or ___

Answer 10

population

Question 11

The niche is distinct from the habitat - the latter is the physical ___ where an organism lies

Answer 11

place

Question 12

The niche is so specific that a ___ can be identified by the niche it occupies

Answer 12

species

Question 13

The concept of ___ embodies every aspect o an organism’s existence

Answer 13

niche

Question 14

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

Answer 14

community

Question 15

The term ___ is used to include only the population and not their physical environment

Answer 15

biotic community

Question 16

An ___ includes the community and the environment

Answer 16

ecosystem

Question 17

___ is the orderly process by which the structure of an ecological community evolves over time

Answer 17

ecological succession

Question 18

___ occurs in areas uninfluenced by a pre-existing community, while secondary succession occurs in areas where a pre-existing community has been disrupted

Answer 18

primary succession

Question 19

Each community stage, or ___, in an ecological succession is identified by a dominant species - the one that exerts control over the other species that are present

Answer 19

sere

Question 20

A ___ occurs in which a population alters the environment in such a way that the original conditions giving rise to that population are recreated.

Answer 20

stage

Question 21

A ___ is the living (biotic) part of an ecosystem in which populations exist in balance with each other and with the environment

Answer 21

climax community

Question 22

A climax community persists until a major climactic or geological change disturbs the ___ factors or a major biotic change (disease, mutation, etc.) affects the populations

Answer 22

abiotic

Question 23

An ecosystem or ___ encompasses the interaction between living, biotic, communities and the nonliving, abiotic, environment

Answer 23

ecological community

Question 24

(self-sustaining and stable ecosystem) the abiotic factors and the ___ are relatively stable

Answer 24

biotic community

Question 25

(self-sustaining and stable ecosystem) there is a constant energy source and a biotic community incorporating this ___ into organic compounds

Answer 25

energy

Question 26

(self-sustaining and stable ecosystem) materials are cycled between the abiotic factors and ___

Answer 26

biotic community

Question 27

Ecosystems within a specific ___ region form biomes

Answer 27

geographic

Question 28

The conditions in different geographic and climate regions select for plants and animals possessing ___ adaptations

Answer 28

suitable

Question 29

___ are characterized and named according to the climax vegetation of the region

Answer 29

land biomes

Question 30

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

Answer 30

climax vegetation

Question 31

Since plants are important as food producers, they determine the nature of the inhabiting animal population, and thus the climax vegetation determines the ___

Answer 31

climax animal population

Question 32

(desert biome) examples of ___ include the Sahara in Africa and the Gobi in Asia

Answer 32

deserts

Question 33

(grassland biome) ___ that do inhabit the grasslands frequently have developed long legs, and many are hoofed

Answer 33

land animals

Question 34

(rainforest biome) the floor is inhabited by ___, which live off of dead organic matter

Answer 34

saprophytes

Question 35

(temperature deciduous forest biome) These ___ are found in the northeastern United States and in Central Europe

Answer 35

biomes

Question 36

(temperature coniferous forest biome) ___ inhabitants include beavers, bears, sheep, squirrels, and birds

Answer 36

animal

Question 37

(taiga biome) ___ exist in the extreme northern parts of Canada and Russia

Answer 37

taigas

Question 38

(tundra biome) The ___is a treeless, frozen plain found between the taiga and the northern ice sheets

Answer 38

tundra

Question 39

(polar region) ___that do inhabit polar regions generally live near the oceans and include penguins and polar bears

Answer 39

animals

Question 40

___ have little controlling influence on communities of aquatic biomes compared to their role in terrestrial biomes

Answer 40

plants

Question 41

Aquatic areas are the most stable ___: the conditions affecting temperature, the amount of available oxygen and carbon dioxide, and the amount of suspended or dissolved materials are stable over very large areas with little tendency to change

Answer 41

ecosystems

Question 42

(marine biomes) The ___ connect to form one continuous body of water, which controls the Earth's temperature by absorbing solar heat

Answer 42

oceans

Question 43

(marine biomes - intertidal zone) the ___ exposed at low tides that undergoes variations in temperature and periods of dryness

Answer 43

region

Question 44

(marine biomes - neritic zone) the ___ on the continental shelf that contains ocean with depths up to 600 feet and extends several hundred miles from the shores

Answer 44

region

Question 45

(marine biomes - pelagic zone) typical of the open seas, this can be divided into ___ and aphotic zones

Answer 45

photic

Question 46

(marine biomes - photic zone) the ___ of the open sea extending to a depth of 250-600 feet

Answer 46

sunlit layer

Question 47

(marine biomes - aphotic zone) the region beneath the ___ zone that receives no sunlight

Answer 47

photic

Question 48

(freshwater biomes) in rivers and streams, strong, swift currents exist, and thus selection favored the survival of fish that developed ___ and plants with root-like holdfasts

Answer 48

strong muscles

Question 49

The ___ is a relatively thin zone extending a few feet beneath the Earth's surface, several miles into the deepest sea, and several miles into the atmosphere

Answer 49

hydrosphere

Question 50

___ possess waxy cuticles on leaf surfaces and stomata on the lower leaf surfaces only

Answer 50

nondesert plants

Question 51

The temperature of a geographic ___ depends upon its latitude and altitude

Answer 51

location

Question 52

(substratum - soil or rock) affected by ___ or pH which determines what types of plants grow in what types of soil

Answer 52

soil acidity

Question 53

(substratum - soil or rock) the ___ of soil and its clay content determine the water-holding capacity of the soil

Answer 53

texture

Question 54

(substratum - soil or rock) ___, including nitrates and phosphates, affect the type of vegetation that can be supported

Answer 54

minerals

Question 55

(substratum - soil or rock) ___ quantity is determined by the amount of decaying plant and animal life in the soil

Answer 55

humus

Question 56

Herbivores have long ___ tracts that provide greater surface area and time for digestion

Answer 56

digestive

Question 57

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

Answer 57

symbiotic bacteria

Question 58

___ occupying the same niche compete for the same limited resources: food, water, light, oxygen, space, minerals, and reproductive sites

Answer 58

organisms

Question 59

When competing for the same resource, one species may be competitively superior to another and drive the second to ___

Answer 59

extinction

Question 60

(competition) one ___ may be competitively superior in some regions, and the other may be superior in other regions under different environmental conditions

Answer 60

species

Question 61

(competition) The ___ would rapidly evolve greater differences in their niches (divergent)

Answer 61

two species

Question 62

(competition) ___ belonging to the same species utilize the same resources; if a particular resource is limited, then these organisms compete with one another

Answer 62

individuals

Question 63

(cooperation) ___ within a population can provide protection from predators and destructive weather, acquisition of prey and resources, recognition of offspring, and transmission of learned responses

Answer 63

cooperative behavior

Question 64

(symbiosis - commensalism) One organism is benefited by the ___, and the other is not affected

Answer 64

association

Question 65

(symbiosis - mutualism) A ___ relationship from which both organisms derive some benefit

Answer 65

symbiotic

Question 66

(symbiosis - parasitism) A ___ benefits at the expense of the host

Answer 66

parasite

Question 67

(predation) ___ are free-living organisms that feed on other living organisms

Answer 67

predators

Question 68

Examples of predators include the hawk, lion, ___, and Venus flytrap

Answer 68

human

Question 69

___ include those protists and fungi that decompose (digest) dead organism matter externally by secreting digestive enzymes and then absorbing the nutrients; they constitute a vital link in the cycling of material within the ecosystem

Answer 69

saprophytes

Question 70

___ are animals that consume dead animals

Answer 70

scavengers

Question 71

A ___ is a single chain showing the transfer of energy

Answer 71

food chain

Question 72

The levels of a food chain are called ___ and describe the number of steps an organism is from the start of the food chain

Answer 72

trophic levels

Question 73

(food chain - primary producers) The autotrophic green plants and ___ bacteria are the producers

Answer 73

chemosynthetic

Question 74

(food chain - primary producers) the ___ of the sun is captured and stored in the C-H bond

Answer 74

radiant energy

Question 75

(food chain - primary consumers) primary consumers are animals that consume ___(herbivores)

Answer 75

green plants

Question 76

(food chain - secondary consumers) ___ are animals that consume the primary consumers (carnivores)

Answer 76

secondary consumers

Question 77

(food chain - tertiary consumers) These are animals that feed on ___ (also called carnivores)

Answer 77

secondary consumers

Question 78

(food chain - decomposers) Decomposers break down the ___ and dead tissues to simpler compounds, such as nitrates and phosphates, which are returned to the environment to be used again by living organisms

Answer 78

organic wastes

Question 79

(food web) The food web is not simply a linear ___ but an intricate collection of interconnected food chains

Answer 79

chain

Question 80

(food web) The greater the number of ___ in a community food web, the more stable the community

Answer 80

pathways

Question 81

A ____, or ecological pyramid, graphically represents the feeding relationships between trophic levels

Answer 81

food pyramid

Question 82

___ higher in the food chain derive their food energy from organisms at lower levels

Answer 82

organisms

Question 83

Each level of the food chain utilizes some of the ___ it obtains from food for its own metabolism (i.e., to support life functions and loses some additional energy in the form of heat

Answer 83

energy

Question 84

Since loss of energy due to ___ means a loss of energy at each feeding level, the producer organism at the base of the pyramid contains the greatest amount of energy

Answer 84

heat

Question 85

Since the ___ at the base contains the greatest amount of energy, this means less energy is available for the primary consumer and still less for the secondary and tertiary consumers

Answer 85

producer

Question 86

Additionally, because ___ is lost form one level to the next, each level can support a successively smaller biomass (pyramid of biomass)

Answer 86

energy

Question 87

___ organisms that are highest in the food chain are usually larger and heavier than those further down

Answer 87

consumer

Question 88

Since organisms that highest in the ___ are usually larger, for the lower organism to have a greater total mass, there must be a greater number of lower-level organisms

Answer 88

food chain

Question 89

(nitrogen cycle) Elemental ___ is chemically inert and cannot be used by most organisms

Answer 89

nitrogen

Question 90

(nitrogen cycle) Lightning and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots of ___ change the nitrogen to usable, soluble nitrates

Answer 90

legumes

Question 91

(nitrogen cycle) The ___ are absorbed by plants and are used to synthesize nucleic acids and plant proteins

Answer 91

nitrates

Question 92

(nitrogen cycle) ___ eat the plants and synthesize specific animal proteins from the plant proteins

Answer 92

animals

Question 93

(nitrogen cycle) ___ locked up in waste and dead tissues is released by the action of bacteria of decay, which convert the proteins into ammonia (NH3)

Answer 93

nitrogen

Question 94

(nitrogen cycle) Some ammonia is nitrified to nitrites by chemosynthetic bacteria and then to usable ___ by nitrifying bacteria

Answer 94

nitrates

Question 95

(nitrogen cycle) Some ___ is broken down to release free nitrogen, which returns to the beginning of the cycle

Answer 95

ammonia

Question 96

(carbon cycle) gaseous CO2 enters the living world when plants use it to produce ___ via photosynthesis

Answer 96

glucose

Question 97

(carbon cycle) ___ eat plants and use the digested nutrients to form carbohydrates, fats, and proteins characteristic of the species

Answer 97

animals

Question 98

(carbon cycle) the metabolically ___ CO2 is released into the air

Answer 98

produced