Ecology (Biology)

Question 1

What is photosynthesis?

Answer 1

The process where light energy from the Sun is converted into chemical energy, in the form of sugar.

Question 2

What is cellular respiration?

Answer 2

The process where sugar and oxygen is converted into carbon dioxide, water and useable/available energy.

Question 3

What is the equation for photosynthesis?

Answer 3

CO2 + H2O —(uv light)—> C6H1206 + O2

Question 4

What is the equation for cellular respiration?

Answer 4

C6H12O6 + O2 —> CO2 + H2O + energy

Question 5

What is the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration? Why is it important?

Answer 5

Cellular respiration and photosynthesis are important parts of the carbon cycle. While cellular respiration releases carbon dioxide into the environment, photosynthesis pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Question 6

What is a biotic factor? Give some examples.

Answer 6

The living thinds in an ecosystem. Ex. plants, animals, fungi, bacteria

Question 7

What is an abiotic factor? Give some examples.

Answer 7

The non-living things in an ecosystem. Ex. water, sunlight, soil, air, temprature.

Question 8

What is an ecological niche? Give an example of two species and thier niche.

Answer 8

A species niche includes what is feeds on, what it eats and how is behaves. Ex. bee drinks flower nectar, makes honey, pollenates flowers Ex. #2 tree frog eats small insects, eaten by birds or snakes, found in trees, limits number of insects.

Question 9

What is a food chain?

Answer 9

A sequence of organisms, each feeding on the next.

Question 10

What does a food chain show?

Answer 10

Shows how energy is transferred from one organism to another.

Question 11

Explain the statement “energy is lost to the environment at each step of the food chain”.

Answer 11

Only 10% of energy moves from one trophic level to the next. The remainder of the energy is used to keep an organism alive.

Question 12

What are the organisms called that are found at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th trophic levels?

Answer 12

1st lvl - producer
2nd lvl - primary consumer
3rd lvl - secondary consumer
4th lvl - tertiary consumer
5th lvl - apex predators

Question 13

Why are food chains not completely accurate?

Answer 13

Food chains imply that organisms only eat one type of organism which is rarely true.

Question 14

What is a food web?

Answer 14

A representation of the feeding relationships within a community.

Question 15

What are autotrophs?

Answer 15

Producers/organisms that make their own food

Question 16

What are heterotrophs?

Answer 16

Consumers/cannot make thier own food

Question 17

What is a population?

Answer 17

A group of individuals of the same species living together in the same area.

Question 18

What is a community?

Answer 18

All the living organisms in an area (several population).

Question 19

What is bioamplification?

Answer 19

The increase in concentration of a substance, such as a pesticide, as it moves higher up the food web.

Question 20

What is bioaccumulation?

Answer 20

The concentration of a substance, such as a pesticide, in the body of an organism.

Question 21

What is biodiversity?

Answer 21

The variety of life in a particular ecosystem.

Question 22

Why is biodiversity important?

Answer 22

Essential for the processes that support all life on Earth. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.

Question 23

What is species richness?

Answer 23

The number of species in an area.

Question 24

Why is biodiversity being decreased?

Answer 24

Climate change, invasive species, pollution, habitat loss

Question 25

What are invasive species?

Answer 25

A non-native species whose intentional or accidental introduction negatively impacts the natural environment

Question 26

What are the three ways invasive species can be controlled?

Answer 26

Chemical (pests) Mechanical (barriers or physical removal) Biological (introducing a new predator)

Question 27

What is a tolerance range?

Answer 27

Too little or too much of an abiotic factor that will result in stress or death.

Question 28

What is an optimal range?

Answer 28

The range of conditions under which the organism survives best.

Question 29

What are the biotic factors that invovle interaction between individuals?

Answer 29

Competition, predation, commensalism, mutualism and parasitism.

Question 30

What is competition? Give an example.

Answer 30

When two individuals vie (fight) for the same resource. Foxes and coyotes both feed on common prey such as mice and rabbits.

Question 31

What is predation? Give an example.

Answer 31

When one individual feeds on another. Lynx prey on snowshoe hares.

Question 32

What is mutualism? Give an example.

Answer 32

When two individuals benefit from each other. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in the roots of certain plants. The plants provide sugars to the bacteria. The bacteria provide nitrogen to the plant.

Question 33

What is parasitism? Give an example.

Answer 33

When one individual lives on or in and feeds on a host organism. Tapeworms are parasites of cats and dogs.

Question 34

What is commensalism? Give an example.

Answer 34

When one individual benefits and the other neither benefits nor is harmed. Many birds nest in particular kinds of trees or in abandoned burrows.

Question 35

What is acid rain?

Answer 35

Precipitation that has been made more acidic than usual by the combination of certain chemicals in the air with water vapour.

Question 36

What are the effects of acid rain on aquatic ecosystems?

Answer 36

As rivers and lakes become more acidic, species decline in numbers and may disappear. For example, microscopic photosynthetic plankton that are at the bottom of the aquatic food web are negatively impacted. Crayfish, clams, and the fish that eat plankton are disappearing as their food supply decreases.

Question 37

How can we help decrease climate change?

Answer 37

Use renewable energy, reduce water waste, reduce automoblie useage, reduce, reuse, recycle, turn off the lights

Question 38

What are some technologies to help with climate change?

Answer 38

Renewable energies such as wind energy, solar power and hydropower.