Ecosystems
What is the term for the place where an organism lives?
Habitats
What process converts light energy into chemical energy?
Photosynthesis
What is pollution?
The release of harmful contaminants into the environment.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life in an area.
What biome is the northernmost biome with permafrost and a short growing season?
Tundra
Name the four spheres
Atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere
Name the organisms that make their own food.
Producers
What type of forest harvesting removes most or all trees from an area?
Clear-cutting
What is the name for the gradual replacement of communities after a disturbance?
Ecological succession
Which biome is dominated by coniferous trees and is the largest biome in Canada?
Boreal forest
What is the difference between a population and a community?
A population is all individuals of one species in an area.
A community is all the populations living in an area.
In an energy pyramid, about what percentage of energy is transferred to the next trophic level?
10%
What is an invasive species?
A non-native species that spreads rapidly and harms ecosystems.
What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?
Primary succession begins where no soil or life exists.
Secondary succession occurs where soil remains after a disturbance.
What is the difference between oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes?
Explain the difference between biotic and abiotic factors and give one example of each.
Biotic factors are living things or their remains/products. Example: plants, bacteria.
Abiotic factors are non-living components. Example: water, temperature, sunlight.
State the word equation for cellular respiration.
Sugar + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy
Explain one environmental problem caused by pesticides.
Why does habitat fragmentation threaten species survival?
It divides ecosystems into smaller areas, reducing resources, increasing pollution exposure, and isolating populations.
Explain why grasslands have very fertile soil.
Grasslands have rich black soil because grasses die and decompose each year, adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil.
A forest contains trees, fungi, insects, soil, streams, sunlight, and rocks. Explain why this entire area is considered an ecosystem.
It is an ecosystem because living organisms interact with each other and with non-living components such as water, sunlight, rocks, and soil.
A food chain contains grass → rabbit → fox → wolf.
Identify the trophic level of each organism.
Compare natural ecosystems and agroecosystems using TWO differences.
A wildfire destroys most plants in a forest, but the soil remains. Describe the stages of succession that may follow.
Secondary succession occurs:
Compare freshwater and marine ecosystems using TWO differences.