Question | Answer |
Ecology | the study of how living things interact with each other |
population | all the members of one species in a given area in a given time |
community | all the populations in a given area in a given time |
ecosystem | including all living things and non living things in an area in a given time |
biosphere | all the ecosystems of earth and how they interact with each other
.every where life exists |
2 main factors for the continuation of an ecosystem | 1. constant source of energy
2. cycling of materials |
what is a constant source of energy? | sun powers all of the organisms |
what is cycling of materials | between living and non living things there is cycling of certain substances, like photosynthesis and respiration |
abiotic factors | non living parts of an ecosystem |
examples of abiotic factors | soil, water, temperature, light and air, minerals |
limiting factors | non living factors that limit the growth of a population of an ecosystem.
these factors determine what can and can not live in an ecosystem |
biotic factors | living organisms in an ecosystem |
examples of biotic factors | animals, flowers, humans and plants |
producers | organisms that make their own food.
for example autotrophs and chemotrophs |
autotrophs | producers that produce their food by using energy from the sun to carry out photosynthesis |
chemotrophs | producers that produce their food by using energy from chemical reactions to carry out chemosynthesis |
consumers | organisms that take in food |
herbivores | consumer that only eats producers |
carnivore | consumers that eat other consumers |
preditor (carnivore) | an animal that hunts, kills and eats its prey |
scavenger (carnivore) | organism that eats dead animals that have already been killed by someone else. |
omnivores | a consumer that eats producers and consumers (human) |
decomposers | organism that feed off dead and decaying matter |
saprophyte | a plant decomposer |
symbiotic relationship | when two organisms of different species have a close association |
commensalism | when one organism benefits, but the other one isn't harmed
ex: shark and remora |
mutualism | both organisms benefit |
parasitism | one organism benefits (parasite), while the other is harmed (host) |
food chain | the path that energy takes through an ecosystem |
producer in food chain | autotroph |
primary consumers | are always herbivores |
secondary consumers | carnivores |
consumers in a food chain | organisms that eat the secondary consumers |
decomposers | breaks down dead and decaying matter, must be present in all levels of food chain |
food web | shows many interconnecting food chains because most organisms eat more than one type of food |
pyramid of energy | only 10 percent of the energy at each level gets passed along |
pyramid of biomass | the amount of living matter decreases as you go along the food chain |
carrying capacity | the maximum number of organisms that an ecosystem can support |
competition | occurs when organisms have a struggle for limiting factors, organisms that are best adaptable will survive |
habitat | where an organism lives |
niche | the role/job an organism has in its ecosystem, if two species occupy the same niche, there will be competition |
why would a foreign invader reproduce in an ecosystem | a foreign invader has no natural enemies and so it would reproduce |
carbon/oxygen cycle | CO2 and O2 are cycled because of the process of respiration and photosynthesis |
water cycle | H2O evaporates -transporation
If water molecules hit the clouds - condensation, then H2O comes back down as precipitation |
Nitrogyn Cycle | Nytrogen in the air is not usable, so bacteria in the ground converts the nitrogen into a usable form for plants |
Human requirements in ecology | nutritious food, clean water, shelter for living and air that is not polluted |
renewable resources | something that can be replaced in a reasonable amount of time |
examples of renewable resources | sunlight, H2O and plants and animals |
How can renewable resources become non renewable | by over cropping, over grazing, over hunting and over fishing |
non renewable resources | can not be replaced in a reasonable amount of time |
examples of non renewable resources | 1-fossil fuels=coal, oil, petroleum and gasoline
2-minerals=iron, aluminum and tin |
Reduce | try to use less or none at all |
reuse | use dishes, glasses, towels and silverware instead of plastic and paper |
recycle | plastic, glass, metal, paper |
human population growth | human population is not stable. It grows rapidly due to medical advances, knowledge and education |
water polution | causes H2O to be dirty for drinking, washing and/or recreation |
pollutant | any substance that makes something dirty for a living |
example of H2O pollutants | pesticides, sewages, pcbs, and heat |
air pollution | causes air to be dirty for breathing |
example of air pollutants | CO2, carbon monoxide, soot, smog, ash, smoke, nitrogen, and sulfur oxyde |
soil pollution | makes it difficult to grow healthy crops and also for recreation |
examples of soil pollution | solid wastes, pesticides, and chemicals |
thermal pollution | due to factories cooling their machines, the water nearby in the lakes gets warmer and causes some organisms to die |
green house effect/ global warming | too much CO2 in the air - global warming - ice caps melting and flooding |
what causes the increase in CO2 levels | burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and increase in technology |
acid rain | caused by sulfur and nitrogen oxides which are released from factories and car exhaust. |
Ozone layer depletion | chemicals called cfcs from aerosol cans have been causing holes in the ozone layer. |
what are the effects of ozone layer depletion | more uv rays can pass through which causes an increase in skin and eye cancer |
direct harvesting | removing an organism from its habitat. |
poaching | illegally trapping of organisms |
importation of species | bringing in a foreign species into a native land |
poor land management | rapid growth of cities has increased the amount of land available for architecture |