Characteristics of Life
What is one characteristic all living things share?
Made of cells (other answers: reproduce, grow, respond, etc.)
Is a rock biotic or abiotic?
Abiotic.
Which symbiotic relationship benefits both species?
Mutualism.
What do primary producers make?
Their own food (energy) through photosynthesis.
Which type of succession starts on bare rock?
Primary succession
What does homeostasis mean?
Maintaining a stable internal environment.
Give two examples of abiotic factors in an ecosystem.
Temperature, water, sunlight, soil, etc.
What is it called when one species benefits and the other is not affected?
Commensalism.
A caterpillar eating grass. What trophic level is the caterpillar?
Primary Consumer
Which type of succession happens after a fire?
Secondary succession.
Give two ways you can tell something is nonliving.
Does not grow, reproduce, or respond to environment, etc.
What does biotic mean?
Living or once living things in an ecosystem.
What’s the difference between parasitism and predation?
Parasitism harms the host over time; predation kills quickly for food.
What type of consumer is a hawk that eats a snake?
Tertiary consumer.
What is the final stable stage of succession called?
Climax community.
Why is energy important for living things?
Energy is needed to carry out life processes like growth, repair, and reproduction.
Why are abiotic factors important for biotic factors?
They provide necessary resources and conditions for survival.
Give one real-world example of parasitism.
Tick on a dog, tapeworm in human, etc.
What type of organism breaks down dead material?
Decomposer/detritivore.
What is biomass?
The total amount of living material in a trophic level.
Name all seven characteristics of life.
Made of cells, grow/develop, reproduce, use energy, respond to environment, maintain homeostasis, adapt/evolve.
A dead tree trunk is considered biotic. Why?
It was once living
Name and explain all three types of symbiotic relationships.
Mutualism (both benefit), commensalism (one benefits, other unaffected), parasitism (one benefits, other harmed).
Explain why there are usually fewer top predators in an ecosystem
Less energy is available at higher trophic levels because only ~10% passes upward
Why does energy decrease as you go up the food chain?
Energy is lost as heat and used for life processes, so less is available at each level.