Ecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

The study of the relationships among living organisms and the interaction the organisms have with their environment

Question 2

Biosphere

Answer 2

The portion of the Earth that supports life

Question 3

Biome

Answer 3

A large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and similar types of communities

Question 4

Ecosystem

Answer 4

A biological community and all of the abiotic factors that affect it.

Question 5

Community

Answer 5

A group of interacting populations that occupy the same geographic area at the same time

Question 6

Population

Answer 6

A species living in the same area or habitat

Question 7

Organism

Answer 7

• An individual living thing
• The smallest trophic level

Question 8

Producers vs. Consumers

Answer 8

Producers (autotrophs) - organisms that collect energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to make more food
Consumers (heterotrophs) - organisms that get their energy by consuming other organisms

Question 9

Ultimate source of energy

Answer 9

the sun

Question 10

Heterotroph vs. autotroph

Answer 10

Heterotroph (consumer) - an organism that gets its energy by consuming other organisms
Autotrophs (producer) - an organism that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to make food

Question 11

Herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore

Answer 11

Herbivore - only eats plants
Carnivore - only eats meat
Omnivore - eats plants and animals

Question 12

1st, 2nd, and 3rd level consumers

Answer 12

The different levels of consumers on a food pyramid

Question 13

10% rule

Answer 13

• 90% of energy at each trophic level is lost as heat, stored or used up in metabolism
• 10% of energy is passed on to the next trophic level
• Number of trophic levels that an ecosystem can support is limited

Question 14

Abiotic and biotic factors
a. Define
b. List three examples of each

Answer 14

Biotic
a. living factors in an organism’s environment
b. animals, bacteria, humans
Abiotic
a. non-living factors in an organism’s environment
b. air, sand rocks

Question 15

Food chain vs. food web

Answer 15

Food chain - a model one pathway of energy
Food web - a model that shows mutliple paths of energy

Question 16

Trophic levels

Answer 16

Each step in a food chain or food web

Tertiary consumers - top carnivores
Secondary consumers - small carnivores/omnivores
Primary Consumers - Herbivores
Producers - Autotrophs

Question 17

Energy pyramid

Answer 17

diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level

Question 18

Limiting factor

Answer 18

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms

Question 19

Carrying capacity

Answer 19

The maximum amount of organisms an ecosystem can hold

Question 20

Commensalism
a. Definition
b. Example

Answer 20

a. A relationship between two organisms where one organism is helped, and the other is neither helped nor harmed
b. A spider web on a tree

Question 21

Mutualism
a. Definition
b. Example

Answer 21

a. A relationship between two organisms where both organisms are benefited
b. shrimp and goby fish

Question 22

Parasitism
a. Definition
b. Example

Answer 22

a. A relationship between two organisms where one organism is benefited at the expense of the other
b. Leech and human

Question 22

Predator/ prey
a. Definition
b. Example

Answer 22

a. A predator is an animal that eats another animal, and the prey is the animal that is eaten
b. fox and squirrel