Introduction to Ecology

Question 1

Abiotic factors

Answer 1

non-living factors of the ecosystem

Question 2

Aquatic biomes

Answer 2

both freshwater and marine biomes exist, with great diversity in temperature, sunlight penetration, and nutrients. Examples would be oceans, estuaries, lakes, and pools.

Question 3

Autotrophs

Answer 3

or producers; organisms which make their food from inorganic energy sources

Question 4

Biomes

Answer 4

areas where there’s a consistent environment which is home to a distinct population of living creatures.

Question 5

Biosphere

Answer 5

the surface of the earth along with the area in the atmosphere and area in the earth’s crust where life exists

Question 6

Biotic factors

Answer 6

living factors of the ecosystem

Question 7

Carbon cycle

Answer 7

how the elements carbon and oxygen are recycled through people, animals, and plants

Question 8

Carnivores

Answer 8

meat eaters

Question 9

Carrying capacity

Answer 9

the maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can sustain

Question 10

Chemoautotrophs

Answer 10

organisms which obtain energy from chemical substances.

Question 11

Commensalism

Answer 11

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 12

Community

Answer 12

A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other

Question 13

Coniferous forests

Answer 13

Biomes characterized by long cold winters, without permafrost, where coniferous evergreen trees thrive

Question 14

Conifers

Answer 14

A gymnosperm, or naked seed plant, that produces cones

Question 15

Consumers

Answer 15

Heterotrophs, which consume their food from organic sources, typically by eating other organisms

Question 16

Deciduous forests

Answer 16

biomes characterized by four different seasons, and home to broad-leaved deciduous trees

Question 17

Deserts

Answer 17

hot, dry biomes that receive very little rain

Question 18

Decomposers

Answer 18

organisms which consume dead matter by secreting enzymes that break it into simpler matter which becomes part of our soil.

Question 19

Detritivores

Answer 19

organisms which feed on dead matter by breaking it into smaller components, speeding up the decay process.

Question 20

Ecosystems

Answer 20

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment; a subdivision of a biome.

Question 21

Exponential growth pattern

Answer 21

an increasing growth pattern that could occur if a population had limitless resources.

Question 22

Food web

Answer 22

An energy chain which presents a more complex understanding of how energy flows through an ecosystem, allowing us to see how food chains are connected and interwoven.

Question 23

Grasslands

Answer 23

biomes which are temperate regions that experience different seasons, but not enough rain to support trees; however, are able to support grasses

Question 24

Herbivores

Answer 24

plant eaters

Question 25

Heterotrophs

Answer 25

or consumers: organisms which depend on other organisms for their food

Question 26

Intrinsic rate of increase

Answer 26

the population growth rate

Question 27

Logistic growth pattern

Answer 27

a realistic growth pattern when a population is stable

Question 28

Mutualism

Answer 28

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Question 29

Nitrogen cycle

Answer 29

how nitrogen compounds are transferred from bacteria, converted to ammonia, transferred to soil, and then to humans and animals

Question 30

Omnivores

Answer 30

creatures which are both plant and meat eaters

Question 31

Parasitism

Answer 31

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Question 32

Phylum coniferophyte

Answer 32

conifers

Question 33

Populations

Answer 33

Groups of organisms of the same species, which exist within ecosystems

Question 34

Producers

Answer 34

Autotrophs, which make their food from inorganic energy sources.

Question 35

Symbiosis

Answer 35

organisms in close relationships

Question 36

Trophic level

Answer 36

Each step in a food chain or food web; each layer of an ecological pyramid represents a different type of organism and how they feed

Question 37

Tropical rainforests

Answer 37

biomes which are hot, humid areas that receive an abundance of rain and support a diverse range of living things

Question 38

Tundra

Answer 38

biomes which are characterized by long winters with cold temperatures, short summers, and frozen land called permafrost

Question 39

Water cycle

Answer 39

how water moves from the bodies of water on the earth, through the atmosphere, and back to the earth again.