Ecosystem Basics
What is the study of ecosystems called?
Ecology
What is the smallest level of ecological organization?
Species
What does the term abiotic mean?
Non-living
What is a biome?
A large ecological area characterized by specific climate conditions, plants, and animals.
What is a population in ecological terms?
A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area at the same time.
Define what an ecosystem includes
All living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components in a specific area.
How is a population defined?
A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.
List three examples of abiotic factors found in the classroom ecosystem.
Can include:
Table, chairs, board, walls, floor, poster, etc.
Name a characteristic that defines a biome.
Climate (such as temperature and precipitation petterns)
What is a community in ecological terms?
A group of different species that live together in a specific area and interact with one another.
Name one example of a biotic factor in an ecosystem.
Can include any living animal or plant.
Explain what a community is in ecological terms.
Multiple populations of different species in a specific area at a given time.
How do abiotic factors influence the living organisms in an ecosystem?
By affecting their survival, reproduction, and distribution.
How is the Sahara Desert classified in terms of ecological organization and why?
Biome because it encompasses multiple ecosystems that share the same climate
Compare and contract community and population.
Population has animals of the same species in a given area at a given time but a community has multiple species in a given area at a given time.
They both focus on a given area at a given time.
What term describes all living organisms in a given area?
Community
What are the four levels of ecological organization that come before a biome?
Species
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Why is it important to consider abiotic factors when studying ecosystems?
They significantly affect the health and function of ecosystems
Explain how climate affects the characteristics of a biome.
(Think about what is affected because of the change in climate)
Determining the types of vegetation and animal life that can thrive there.
What factors can affect the size of a population?
Birth rates, death rates, immigration, emigration.
How do ecosystems differ from one another?
Their species, climate, geography, and abiotic factors.
Describe the relationship between species, populations, and communities.
Species are individual organisms, while populations are groups of the same species; communities are made up of multiple species.
Give an example of an abiotic component in a freshwater ecosystem.
Water
What is the largest biome on Earth?
Taiga or Boreal Forest
How do species within a community interact with each other?
Through competition, predation, mutualism, and commensalism.