Vocab & Concepts
A group of the same kind of organism living in one area.
POPULATION.
For a population to increase, what has to happen?
MORE BIRTHS THAN DEATHS.
A system is _________ if organisms are still being born and dying.
STABLE.
What do organisms need in order to reproduce?
ENERGY STORAGE MOLECULES.
ENERGY.
Owls eat mice. If the owl population decreases, what happens to the mice population?
Define an ecosystem.
ALL LIVING AND NONLIVING THINGS INTERACTING IN AN AREA/IN A PARTICULAR AREA.
If fewer individuals are born than individuals that pass away, what happens to the population number?
IT DECREASES.
IT GETS SMALLER.
What causes populations in an ecosystem to change?
WHEN BIRTHS AND DEATHS ARE NOT EQUAL.
What kind of molecules store energy for organisms?
ENERGY STORAGE MOLECULES.
Grass → insects → frogs
If the insect population increases, what happens to the frog population?
What is stability?
WHEN SOMETHING STAYS MOSTLY THE SAME OVER TIME.
A population of rabbits stays the same size for 20 years. What must be happening each year in that population?
BIRTHS AND DEATHS ARE EQUAL.
If births equal deaths, what happens to population size?
IT STAYS STABLE.
Where do consumer populations get energy from?
RESOURCE POPULATIONS/EATING RESOURCE POPULATIONS.
Foxes and hawks both eat squirrels. If a fox population in a specific area increases, but the hawk population in the same area stays the same, what happens to the hawk population?
THE HAWK POPULATION DECREASES.
A sample is...
A SMALL PART USED TO REPRESENT WHAT THE WHOLE IS LIKE.
A population of fish shrinks over time. What is the best explanation?
FEWER FISH WERE BORN THAN FISH THAT DIED.
MORE DEATHS THAN BIRTHS.
A deer population suddenly increases. What does that mean about births and deaths?
THERE ARE MORE BIRTHS THAN DEATHS.
If more energy storage molecules are available, what happens to reproduction?
MORE ORGANISMS CAN REPRODUCE.
HIGHER LEVEL OF REPRODUCTION.
Snakes eat frogs, and frogs eat beetles. If snakes increase, what happens to beetles?
THE BEETLES INCREASE.
What is reproduction?
THE PROCESS OF CREATING OFFSPRING.
A population grows slowly over many years. What must be happening in the population over time?
MORE BIRTHS THAN DEATHS OVER TIME.
Explain why a population might stay stable even though many individuals are born and die.
BIRTHS AND DEATHS ARE EQUAL OVER TIME.
Why does a larger resource population help a consumer population grow?
IT PROVIDES MORE ENERGY FOR REPRODUCTION.
Sharks eat large fish, and large fish eat small fish. If the population of small fish increases, what happens to the shark population? Why?
THERE ARE MORE ENERGY STORAGE MOLECULES.