Quiz 21 Flashcards
(18 cards)
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Habitat
the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Ecology
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Ecosystem
physical factors in the ecosystem (nonliving).
Abiotic Factor
biological factors in the ecosystem (living).
Biotic Factor
describes how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem.
Food Chain
consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem.
Food Web
a graphical representation of the energy found within the trophic levels of an ecosystem.
Energy Pyramid
a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.
Biome
ecological succession that begins in essentially lifeless areas, such as regions in which there is no soil or where the soil is incapable of sustaining life (because of recent lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or rocks left from a retreating glacier).
Primary Ecological Succession
happens when a climax community or intermediate community is impacted by a disturbance. This restarts the cycle of succession, but not back to the beginning—soil and nutrients are still present.
Secondary Ecological Succesion
An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment.
Climax Community
organisms that can make their own food in an ecosystem and are also known as autotrophs.
Producer
Organisms that feed either directly or indirectly on producers, plants that convert solar energy into complex organic molecules.
Consumer
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Biodiversity
each trophic level can only give 10% of its energy to the next level. The other 90% is used to live, grow, reproduce and is lost to the environment as heat.
10% Rule
Why is biodiversity important?
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. 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.
