Characteristics of Life & Ecology
This term refers to non-living parts of an ecosystem, such as temperature or water.
abiotic
What term describes the factor a scientist changes on purpose in an experiment?
independent variable
In the chain: Sun → Grass → Grasshopper → Bird
energy flows from which organism to the bird?
grasshopper
What term describes the maximum number of individuals an environment can support over time.
carrying capacity
Write one example of matter we learned in the chemical reactions in this unit.
carbon dioxide, water, oxygen, glucose, peat, and smoke are all examples
A student observes mold spreading across bread. Which characteristic of life explains ths specific observation?
reproduction
They are metabolizing, but the student isn't observing this.
Students test how light color affects algae growth. They grow algae under three different colored lights. After 7 days, they record the mass of each algae group. What is the dependent variable?
mass of algae
What term refers to organisms who get their energy from producers?
consumers (specifically primary consumers)
When predator numbers drop, what typically happens to prey populations at first?
they increase
What conditions would incrase photosynthesis?
More sun....also more water, more CO2, more chlorophyll.....
A meadow contains rabbits, grasses, beetles, and hawks all interacting. They are playing Scrabble. What level of ecological organization does this describe?
community
Della conducts an experiment on pH and plant growth. She ensures that temperature, container size, and water amount are all the same across all the plants. What concept does this demonstrate?
Experimental control
What term describes an organism with a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem, such as seed-dispersing mammals in rainforests?
keystone species
Space and resources ultimately determine how much the wildebeest can live, grow, and reproduce. What term is described here?
Limiting factor
How do plants impact the carbon cycle?
take in CO2 gas, store it in the biosphere as sugar
A plant growing toward a window to get more light. Which characteristic of living things does this demonstrate?
responding to stimuli
Pick a representative from your table to show me a negative correlation with their thumbs.
DID YOU DO IT?
A stable ecosystem is disturbed when a drought reduces plant growth. Which downstream effect is most likely?
Herbivore populations decrease due to less available food.
Building a new highway divides a rainforest into isolated patches. What ecological issue does this cause?
habitat fragmentation
-low temperature
-low decomposition
-formally a forest
-wetlands slow decomposition
A scientist records that a bog’s water depth is 22.3 meters. What type of data is this?
quantitative data (with numbers)
A directional hypothesis
What does it mean to say an ecosystem has high biodiversity?
During this unit, we analyze factors NOT driving the wildebeest migration. What were these factors?
predators, disease
Burning fossil fuels adds carbon to the atmosphere that had been stored underground for millions of years. How does this disrupt the carbon cycle?
It increases atmospheric CO₂, disrupts exchange between spheres, contributing to climate warming.