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Ecology Flashcards
Term | Definition |
---|---|
1. What is Ecology? | The scientific study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment. |
2. What does the word "Biosphere" mean? | The part of the world which life can exist. |
3. What's a Population? | Organisms of the same species together in the same place. |
5. What's an Ecosystem? | All living communities in a given area, including the non-living environment. |
6. What's a Habitat? | An organism's home. |
7. What's a Niche? | The way an organism uses/adapts to the conditions in which it lives to its advantage. |
8. What's the result of "Niche Overlap" between species? | A competition between them. |
9. What are Limiting Factors? | Environmental factors that stop populations from increasing. |
10. What are Biotic Factors? | All living things that make up an ecosystem. |
4. What's a Community? | A group of different populations in the same place at the same time. |
11. Give two biotic factors that could cause a deer population to decrease. | Bad bacteria, bigger, more aggressive animals, etc. |
12. What are Abiotic Factors? | All non-living things that make up an ecosystem. |
13. Give two abiotic factors that could cause a white pine population to decrease. | Temperature, air, etc. |
14. What is Carrying Capacity? | The max amount of organisms that a habitat can support. |
15. What happens when a population reaches its carrying capacity? | Survival becomes significantly harder. |
16. Why do population ecologists use "Random Sampling"? | For an easier, more organized way of finding the amount of something. |
17. What is Symbiosis? | Multiple species that live together that have a close ecological relationship. |
18. What is Mutualism? | A relationship where both species benefit (+,+). |
19. Give an example of mutualism. | Bees and flowers. |
20. What is Commensalism? | A relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected (+,0). |
21. Give an example of commensalism. | Barnacles on whales. |
22. What is Parasitism? | A relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed (+,-). |
23. Give an example of parasitism. | Ticks. |
24. What is Predation? | Where one organism (the prey) is killed and devoured by another organism (the predator). |
25. Give an example of predation. | Bears and fish. |
26. What is Competition? | The fight for limiting resources between individuals. |
27. Describe a specific example of competition. | The fight for toilet paper in stores when the pandemic was happening. |
28. How does energy move through an ecosystem (does it flow or does it cycle?)? | Energy flows. |
29. What are Producers (aka Autotrophs)? | An organism that produces it's energy by using photosynthesis. |
30. What are Consumers (aka Heterotrophs)? | Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms. |
31. What's the main source of energy for ecosystems on Earth? | The Sun. |
32. What are the main producers in Terrestrial (land) ecosystems? | Berries, plants, leaves, etc. |
33. What are the main producers in Aquatic (water) ecosystems? | Bacteria, phytoplankton, algae |
34. What's an Herbivore? | A consumer that eats only plants. |
35. What's a Carnivore? | A consumer that eats only meat. |
36. What's an Omnivore? | A consumer that eats plants & meat. |
37. What are Decomposers? | Organisms that gain nutrients from breaking down dead things and absorbing them. |
38. Give some examples of decomposers. | Fungi & bacteria. |
39. What are Scavengers? | Animals that eat dead organisms. |
40. Give some examples of scavengers. | Wolves, raccoons, coyotes, etc. |
41. What's a Food Chain? | A chain like system where one organism eats another organism and gains energy from it. Higher consumers eat lower consumers, and the lowest (primary consumer) eats producers. |
42. What's a Food Web? | Many food chains connected together. |
43. What is a "Trophic Level" in a food chain? | Feeding levels in a food chain/web. |
44. What are Primary Consumers, Secondary Consumers, and Tertiary Consumers? | Organisms that eat other organisms or plants. |
45. What's an Energy Pyramid? | A pyramid that shows the trophic levels get smaller. |
46. How much energy is lost as you move up an energy pyramid? | 90% |
47. Where does the energy go?? | The other organisms. |
48. List the sections of a specific lab report. | The title, introduction, materials/methods, results, and discussion. |
49. There is no question 49... | LESSGOOO |
50. Or 50. | LLLLLESSSSSGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOO |