CPBio CH 18 Ecology Word Scramble
|
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Question | Answer |
Ecology | The study of interactions between organisms and the living and nonliving components of their environment |
Interdependence | Survival of organisms depends on how they interact with the living and nonliving environment |
ecological model | a way of representing or describing an ecological system |
biosphere | the part of earth that contains life- atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere |
ecosystem | the abiotic and biotic factors in an area |
community | many different species living within an area |
population | one single species living within an area |
organism | any living thing |
biotic | living features of an environment |
abiotic | nonliving features of an environment |
tolerance curve | graphs that show an organism's performance versus an environmental variable |
acclimation | when organisms adjust their tolerance for an abiotic factor within their life time |
adaptation | a genetic change in a species or population that occurs from generation to generation over time |
conformers | organisms that do not regulate their internal conditions. Otherwise known as cold-blooded or ectotherms |
regulators | organisms that regulate their internal conditions. Otherwise known as warm-blooded or endotherms |
how to organisms escape unsuitable environments? | dormancy, migration, hibernation, estivation...and others |
dormancy | a state of reduced metabolic activity |
generalists | species with broad niches ex: raccoon |
specialist | species with narrow niches ex: panda |
niche | an organism's specific role or way of life within its environment |
producer | organism that can make its own food- also know as an autotroph |
chemosynthesis | a way that producers make their own food by using chemicals deep within the earth instead of sunlight |
gross primary productivity | the rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture energy and make their own food |
biomass | any organic (from living things) material produced in an ecosystem |
net primary productivity | the amount of energy (stored as biomass) that is available to consumers |
what accounts for most of the variation in primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems? | light, temperature, and precipitation |
what accounts for most of the variation in primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems? | light and availability of nutrients |
consumer | an organism that must eat to gain energy - also known as a heterotroph |
herbivore | an organism that eats plant material |
carnivore | an organism that eats animal products (meat) |
omnivore | an organism that eats both plant and animal products |
detritivore | consumers that feed on waste including organisms that have recently died |
decomposer | any detritivore that causes decay and recycles nutrients. |
trophic level | an organisms position in a sequence of energy transfers (its "eating level") |
food web | many food chains linked together for an ecosystem |
food chain | a single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms within an ecosystem. |
how much energy is transferred to each trophic level? | 10% |
what limits the amount of trophic levels within a food chain? | energy is reduced at each step and eventually becomes to low to support another trophic level |
every time energy is transferred from a trophic level some of that energy is released as _____ and some of the energy is used by that organism for their ________. | heat / metabolism |
biogeochemical cycle | how chemicals such as water/nitrogen/carbon/phosphorus cycle through the abiotic and biotic aspects of Earth. |
groundwater | water in the soil or in underground formations of porous rock |
nitrogen fixation | the process by which bacteria convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into nitrates (a form of nitrogen plants can use to grow) |
evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation | important parts of the water cycle |
transpiration | the process in which plants take in water through their roots and release water through their leaves (aka "plant sweating") |
where do nitrogen fixing bacteria live | they live freely in the soil or in the roots of certain plants such as beans/soy/peas/clover |
denitrification | process by which nitrates are broken down and released as nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere. |
how do animals obtain the nitrogen and phosphorus they need? | by eating plants that use the nitrogen/phosphorus to grow. Animals can NOT absorb nitrogen from the soil. |
which biogeochemical cycle lacks an atmospheric component? | phosphorus |
why do plants and animals need phosphorus? | animals: use it to form bones, teeth, and parts of molecules like DNA. Plants: use to form parts of molecules like DNA and for growing. |
how have humans influenced the carbon cycle? | burning fossil fuels and cutting down trees. This adds to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increased global warming |
what is photosynthesis | the part of the carbon cycle where producers take in carbon dioxide to make their own food and release oxygen |
what is cellular respiration | the part of the carbon cycle where living things take in oxygen to be able to convert their food into energy and release carbon dioxide. |
Created by:
ruth.baker
Popular Biology sets