interactions and Ecosystems

Question 1

what is ecology?

Answer 1

a study of relationships between organisms

Question 2

what are the needs of living things?

Answer 2

Food, habitat air and water.

Question 3

what does adapted mean?

Answer 3

Well suited

Question 4

what does adaptation mean?

Answer 4

inherited characteristic

Question 5

what does ecosystem mean?

Answer 5

interaction of living and non-living things in an environment

Question 6

what does symbiosis mean?

Answer 6

interactions between organisms of different species

Question 7

what are the three different types of relationships between organisms?

Answer 7

*mutualism, both organisms benefit. {++}
*Parasitism, one organism benefits and one is affected or harmed. {+,-}
*Commensalism, one organism benefits and the other one neither harmed or affected {+, 0}

Question 8

what are natural resources?

Answer 8

materials and products that are found in nature

Question 9

what is the difference between a need and a want?

Answer 9

a NEED is something is something that we NEED to survive and a want is something that we DON’T need but would make life more comfortable

Question 10

what are the effects of increased human population?

Answer 10

the need for more resources increases and so do our wants and needs, meaning that there will be less in the future

Question 11

what are the benefits of forest fires?

Answer 11

To ensure that there is enough adequate food for grazing animals. {so some animals don’t over eat}

Question 12

what does sustainability mean?

Answer 12

resources are being renewed as quickly as they are used and wastes are completely absorbed

Question 13

what does ecological footprint mean?

Answer 13

land and water needed to supply all the materials and energy you
use and absorb all the wastes you produce

Question 14

what are the three r’s? and which one has the LEAST impact on the environment?

Answer 14

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. ANS; reduce

Question 15

what does biotic mean?

Answer 15

Biotic – living parts of an ecosystem

Question 16

what does abiotic mean?

Answer 16

Abiotic – non-living parts of an ecosystem

Question 17

what is a niche?

Answer 17

Niche – role or activity undertaken by an organism in an ecosystem

Question 18

what is a producer?

Answer 18

Producer – plants that use Sun’s energy to make their food

Question 19

what is a consumer?

Answer 19

Consumers – organisms that eat the food made by producers

Question 20

what is a herbivore?

Answer 20

Herbivore – animals that eat producers

Question 21

what is a carnivore?

Answer 21

Carnivores – animals that eat other consumers

Question 22

what is an omnivore?

Answer 22

Omnivores – animals that eat producers and consumers

Question 23

what is a predator?

Answer 23

Predator – catches and eats organisms of a different species

Question 24

what is prey?

Answer 24

Prey – organism that is caught and eaten by an organism of a different species

Question 25

what is a food chain?

Answer 25

Food Chain – shows how energy stored in food passes from organism to organism

Question 26

what is energy flow?

Answer 26

Energy flow – movement of energy from the Sun passing from one organism to the next

Question 27

what is a food web?

Answer 27

Food web – interconnected food chains

Question 28

what is a pyramid of numbers?

Answer 28

Pyramid of numbers – number of organisms at each level of a food chain

Question 29

what is biomass?

Answer 29

Biomass – total mass of all organisms in an ecosystem

Question 30

what is a scavenger?

Answer 30

Scavenger – organisms that feed on dead or decaying plant or animal matter

Question 31

what is a decomposer?

Answer 31

Decomposers – grow on or in dead material and help to break it down

Question 32

what is the carbon cycle?

Answer 32

* Carbon cycle – shows how carbon is used and reused through the ecosystem * Burning of fossil fuels - photosynthesis * Decomposition - dissolved carbon dioxide * Respiration * Burning of forests * Fossil fuels

Question 33

what is the water cycle?

Answer 33

* Water cycle – movement of water through an ecosystem o Evaporation – liquid water changes to water vapour o Transpiration – evaporation from plants’ leaves o Condensation – water vapour changes to a liquid o Precipitation – liquid water falls to the earth (rain,snow,etc.) Ground water – water in the soil Run-off – water that runs off the ground into lakes, rivers, etc.

Question 34

what does pollution mean?

Answer 34

* Pollution – substance added to the environment quicker than it can be broken down, stored or recycled in the air, land or water in a non-damaging form

Question 35

what are pollutants?

Answer 35

* Pollutants – substances that cause pollution

Question 36

what is acid rain?

Answer 36

* Acid rain – rain that contains higher than normal acid (caused by sulfur and nitrogen)

Question 37

what is the pH scale?

Answer 37

* pH scale – measures acidity

Question 38

what is bioaccumulation?

Answer 38

* Bioaccumulation – occurs when pollutants enter the food web and accumulate in consumers

Question 39

what is succession?

Answer 39

* Succession – gradual process by which some species replace other species in an ecosystem

Question 40

what is primary succession?

Answer 40

* Primary succession – gradual growth of organisms in an area previously bare

Question 41

what is secondary succession?

Answer 41

* Secondary succession – the gradual growth of organisms in an area that previously had organisms

Question 42

what is biological control?

Answer 42

* Biological control – using the pest’s natural enemy

Question 43

what is the difference between exotic and introduced species?

Answer 43

* Exotic or introduced species – species introduced to an environment where they’re not naturally found

Question 44

what does extinct mean?

Answer 44

* Extinct – no longer exists

Question 45

what does endangered mean?

Answer 45

* Endangered – numbers are getting low

Question 46

what is ecosystem monitoring?

Answer 46

* Ecosystem monitoring – way to check the condition of an ecosystem by comparing overtime

Question 47

what is an indicator species?

Answer 47

* Indicator species – plant or animal species that help to indicate environmental change

Question 48

what is baseline data?

Answer 48

* Baseline data – starting point to compare changes in the environment

Question 49

what are permanent plots?

Answer 49

* Permanent plots – study areas to monitor change

Question 50

what is environmental impact assessment?

Answer 50

* Environmental impact assessment – report that outlines how an activity will affect the environment