Ecology

Question 1

Food web

Answer 1

show the flow of energy through an ecosystem through a complex network of overlapping food chains

Question 1

Photosynthesis

Answer 1

process by which plants use light, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food (sugar) and oxygen

Question 2

Herbivore

Answer 2

an organism that eats only plants for energy and nutrients. Also called a primary consumer.

Example: grasshopper

Question 3

Tertiary Consumer

Answer 3

an organism in a food chain that eats secondary consumers. May be omnivores or carnivores.

Example: bear, snake

Question 4

Cell

Answer 4

smallest unit of all living organisms

Example: nerve cell

Question 5

Differentiation of Cells / Specialization of Cells

Answer 5

specialization; the process of stem cells becoming specialized cells

Question 6

Homeostasis

Answer 6

process by which an organism maintains stable internal conditions

Example: sweating to stay cool

Question 7

Keystone Species

Answer 7

species that plays a key role in the ecosystem by providing balance in most of the other populations, such as keeping omnivores in check by preying on them.

Example: starfish in a kelp forest

Question 8

Heterotrophs

Answer 8

depend on producers to provide the energy they need to survive; also known as consumers

Example: humans, grasshoppers, sharks

Question 9

Individual / Organism

Answer 9

one individual organism of a given species

Example: one human being

Question 10

Natural Selection

Answer 10

the process by which, over time, the population as a whole contains more individuals who are better suited to that environment.

Example: faster antelopes survive to pass down traits

Question 11

Cellular Respiration

Answer 11

the manner in which organisms convert glucose into usable energy

Question 12

Biodiversity

Answer 12

The number of different types of species in an area

Example: A rainforest has higher biodiversity than the artic.

Question 13

Autotrophs

Answer 13

make their own food using nutrients in the soil and energy from the sun; also known as producers

Example: grass

Question 14

Producer

Answer 14

an organism that uses abiotic resources (like the sun’s rays) to make food

Example: grass

Question 15

Decomposer

Answer 15

an organism that breaks down dead matter for energy and nutrients. Returns unused nutrients to the soil.

Example: fungi (mushroom)

Question 16

Metamorphosis

Answer 16

a change from one stage to the next in an organism’s life cycle

Question 17

Metabolism

Answer 17

the sum of chemical reactions in an organism, such as converting food

Question 18

Extinction

Answer 18

the dying out of all members of a species

Example: dodo birds

Question 19

Population

Answer 19

a group of the same organisms in a specific habitat

Example.
number of human beings in a city

Question 20

Primary Consumer

Answer 20

an organism in a food chain that eats the plants (producers). Herbivores.

Example: grasshoppers

Question 21

Adaptation

Answer 21

A feature that has become common in a population because it provides some improved function which makes the organism better able to survive and reproduce. It can be structural or behavioral.

Example: migration in winter

Question 22

Biome

Answer 22

A classification of similar ecosystems. Biomes are classified by their types of plants, animals, soil, temperature, climate, and location.

Example: grassland

Question 23

Ecosystem

Answer 23

A specific area with interaction of living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) factors.

Example: A group of humans, plants, and animals living on a farm

Question 24

Niche

Answer 24

the relationships and activities of an organism within its habitat Example: a red squirrel's niche: eats nuts, lives within the hollows of trees, and drinks water from streams

Question 25

Interspecific Competition

Answer 25

competition between different species Example: leopards and lions in sub-Saharan Africa competing for prey

Question 26

Migration / Gene Flow

Answer 26

movement of individuals of a species

Question 27

Biosphere

Answer 27

region of the Earth in which all life exists. It extends from deep in the oceans into the atmosphere.

Question 28

Consumer

Answer 28

an organism which depends on another organism to provide the energy it needs to survive; assigned a trophic level depending on what kinds of organisms it eats Example: wolf

Question 29

Greenhouse Gases

Answer 29

gases which, when present in elevated quantities in Earth's atmosphere, trap solar radiation and cause the planet to warm Example: carbon dioxide

Question 30

Trophic Level

Answer 30

the level in the food chain assigned to an organism based on what it eats Example: primary consumer

Question 31

Incomplete Metamorphosis

Answer 31

a three-stage cycle in which young look different than the adults, but it’s not as drastic of a change as it is in complete metamorphosis. consists of three stages: egg, larva (nymph), and adult; Example: grasshoppers; dragonflies

Question 32

Intraspecific Competition

Answer 32

competition between members of the same species Example: two male bighorn sheep fighting for a mate

Question 33

Florida Everglades

Answer 33

A region of subtropical wetlands in central Florida

Question 33

Community

Answer 33

a small group of interacting species Example: a group of humans, along with their dogs, cats, trees, etc.

Question 34

Apex Predator

Answer 34

an organism at the top of the food chain with little or no natural enemies Example: mountain lion

Question 35

Interdependent Species

Answer 35

Species rely on one another for food, shelter, competition, cooperation, and symbiosis

Question 36

Apical Meristem

Answer 36

the portion of a plant in which cells are not specialized; usually located at the tips of the shoots and roots

Question 37

Omnivore

Answer 37

an organism that eats both plants and animals for energy and nutrients. Example: a mouse will eat both insects and seeds

Question 38

Competition (Ecology)

Answer 38

struggle among organisms for basic needs such as space, water, food, and sunlight Example: two male lions fighting over a dead monkey

Question 39

Carnivore

Answer 39

an organism that eats only other animals for energy and nutrients. Example: mountain lion

Question 40

Complete Metamorphosis

Answer 40

a four-stage cycle in which the young look completely different than the adult. consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult Example: butterflies

Question 41

Secondary Consumer

Answer 41

an organism in a food chain that eats primary consumers. May be omnivores or carnivores. Example: lizard