Unit 7- Ecology

Question 0

Biotic factors

Answer 0

Any living part of an environment

Question 1

Abiotic factors

Answer 1

Non living physical or chemical condition in an environment

Question 2

Ecology

Answer 2

Scientific study of the interactions among organisms and their environments

Question 4

What are the 5 levels of relationships among biotic and abiotic factors?

Answer 4

• individual organisms
• populations
• communities
• ecosystem
• biosphere

Question 5

population

Answer 5

group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area at the same time

Question 6

community

Answer 6

all the organisms living in an area

Question 7

ecosystem

Answer 7

community of living things plus the nonliving features of the environment that support them

Question 8

biosphere

Answer 8

all the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of all Earth’s ecosystems

Question 9

habitat

Answer 9

an organism’s specific environment, with characteristic abiotic and biotic factors

Question 10

Uneven Heating of Earth’s Surface

Answer 10

regions on Earth’s surface farther from the equator absorb less heat and generally experience cooler temperatures than regions closer to the equator

Question 11

microclimate

Answer 11

climate in a specific area that varies from the surrounding climate region

Question 12

biome

Answer 12

major type of terrestrial ecosystem that covers a large region of Earth

Question 13

examples of biomes

Answer 13

Tropical Forest, Savanna, Desert, Chaparral, temperate grassland, temperate deciduous forest, coniferous forest, & tundra

Question 14

rain forest

Answer 14

type of forest near the equator that receives as much as 250 cm of rainfall yearly

Question 15

savanna

Answer 15

grassland with scattered trees; found in tropical regions of Africa, Australia, and South America

Question 16

desert

Answer 16

land area that receives less than 30 centimeters of rain per year

Question 17

chaparral

Answer 17

temperate coastal biome dominated by dense evergreen shrubs

Question 18

temperate deciduous forest

Answer 18

forest in a temperate region, characterized by trees that drop their leaves annually

Question 19

temperate grassland

Answer 19

biome characterized by deep, nutrient-rich soil that supports many grass species

Question 20

coniferous forest

Answer 20

forest populated by cone-bearing evergreen trees; mostly found in northern latitudes

Question 21

tundra

Answer 21

biome in the Arctic Circle or on high mountaintops, characterized by bitterly cold temperatures and high winds

Question 22

permafrost

Answer 22

permanently frozen subsoil

Question 23

photic zones

Answer 23

regions of a body of water where light penetrates, enabling photosynthesis

Question 24

aphotic zone

Answer 24

deep areas of a body of water where light levels are too low to support photosynthesis

Question 25

types of aquatic ecosystems

Answer 25

ponds/ lakes, streams/ rivers, estuaries, coral reefs, deep sea vents

Question 26

ponds and lakes

Answer 26

- very little dissolved salt | - standing (not flowing) bodies of water

Question 27

benthic zone

Answer 27

bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms

Question 28

streams and rivers

Answer 28

- body of flowing fresh water - support different communities of organisms from those found in ponds and lakes - empties into a lake or the ocean - Few phytoplankton inhabit

Question 29

estuaries

Answer 29

- Streams and rivers merge with ocean water - organisms experience changes in salt concentration and temperature - Earth's most productive ecosystems

Question 30

pelagic zone

Answer 30

open water above the ocean floor

Question 31

intertidal zone

Answer 31

area of shore between the high tide and low tide lines

Question 32

neritic zone

Answer 32

area of ocean that extends from the low tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf

Question 33

oceanic zone

Answer 33

vast open ocean from the edge of the continental shelf outward

Question 34

Coral Reefs

Answer 34

- a visually spectacular and biologically diverse ecosystem - formed by colonies of coral polyps, animals in the phylum Cnidaria - coral polyps obtain food mainly from photosynthetic algae that live within their tissue

Question 35

Deep-sea Vents

Answer 35

- No sunlight reaches this deep, dark zone. - extract energy from sulfur compounds spewing from the vents - make carbohydrates