Ecology Definitions (HL)

Question 1

What is ecology

Answer 1

the study of how living things interact with their environment

Question 2

What is an ecosystem

Answer 2

groups of living organisms that interact with their environment
eg. grassland

Question 3

What is a biosphere

Answer 3

the part of the planet containing living things

Question 4

What is a Population

Answer 4

the number of organisms for one species living in an area

Question 5

What is a Community

Answer 5

all the different populations living in an area

Question 6

What is a Habitat

Answer 6

where an animal or plant lives

Question 7

What are Biotic factors

Answer 7

relate to living factors -

food, competition, predation, humans

Question 8

What are abiotic factors

Answer 8

relate to non-living factors - temperature, soil , rainfall

Question 9

What are edaphic factors

Answer 9

relate to the soil -

soil pH, soil temp

Question 10

What are climatic factors

Answer 10

relate to the weather over a long period of time -

wind, rainfall

Question 11

What are consumers

Answer 11

organisms that take in food from other organisms

Question 12

What are producers

Answer 12

organisms that make their own food / carry out photosynthesis
all plants

Question 13

What is a food chain

Answer 13

shows a sequence of organisms in which one is eaten by the next

Question 14

What is a trophic level

Answer 14

a feeding stage in the food chain

Question 15

What is flora

Answer 15

all plants in an ecosystem

Question 16

What is fauna

Answer 16

all animals in an ecosystem

Question 17

What is a primary consumer

Answer 17

eats a producer

Question 18

What is a secondary consumer

Answer 18

eats a primary consumer

Question 19

What is a tertiary consumer

Answer 19

eats a secondary consumer

Question 20

What is a decomposer

Answer 20

breaks down dead organic matter

bacteria, fungi

Question 21

What is a herbivore

Answer 21

eats plants only

Question 22

What is an omnivore

Answer 22

eats both plants and animals

Question 23

What is a carnivore

Answer 23

eats other animals only

Question 24

What are detritus feeders

Answer 24

feed on dead leaves and dead organic matter

Question 25

What is a food web

Answer 25

two or more inter-linked food chains

Question 26

What is a niche

Answer 26

the functional role an organism plays in an ecosystem

Question 27

What is a pyramid of numbers

Answer 27

represents the number of organisms at each trophic level of a food chain

Question 28

What is pollution

Answer 28

the release of any harmful substances into the environment

Question 29

What is a pollutant

Answer 29

the substance that is causing the pollution

Question 30

What is conservation

Answer 30

the wise management of our environment and the preventing of organisms becoming extinct

Question 31

What is competition

Answer 31

the struggle between two organisms for a resource in short supply food, shelter,mates

Question 32

What is contest competition

Answer 32

the physical contest between two organisms and only one gets the resource 2 deers fighting for female

Question 33

What is scramble competition

Answer 33

where a number of organisms struggle for a resource but they all get some of the resource but not enough young seedling plants competing for light and space

Question 34

What is intra-specific competition

Answer 34

when two organisms of the same species compete

Question 35

What is inter-specific competition

Answer 35

occurs between organisms of different species

Question 36

What is predation

Answer 36

the catching, killing and eating of another organism

Question 37

What is a predator

Answer 37

an organism that catches , kills and eats another organism

Question 38

What is prey

Answer 38

the organism that has been killed and eaten by the predator

Question 39

What is symbiosis

Answer 39

occurs when two organisms living in close association with each other and at least one of them benefits

Question 40

What is parasitism

Answer 40

occurs when one organism lives on another (the host) and causes to harm

Question 41

What are ectoparasites/exoparasites

Answer 41

live on the host on the outside and cause harm | fleas on a dog

Question 42

What are endoparasites

Answer 42

live on the host on the inside and cause harm | tapeworm in intestines

Question 43

What is an adaption

Answer 43

a feature of the organism that increases its chances survival rabbits run fast to escape from predators

Question 44

What is nitrogen fixation

Answer 44

the conversion of nitrogen gas into nitrates , ammonia or ammonium

Question 45

What is nitrification

Answer 45

the conversion of ammonia and ammonium compounds to nitrite and then nitrates

Question 46

What is denitrification

Answer 46

the conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas

Question 47

What is nutrient recycling

Answer 47

when carbon or nitrogen are exchanged between living and non living parts of the environment allows nutrients to be reused