The Basics
what is the name for the study of how living things interact with each other and their surroundings?
ecology
These organisms can make their own food using photosynthesis.
producer
grass -> rabbit -> snake -> eagle
This is an example of a ____________.
food chain
What is the relationship called when a fox hunts and kills a rabbit?
predation
This defensive animal behavior involves gathering together in a large group to keep the vulnerable young safe from predators.
herding
What is the name for all of the living components found within an ecosystem?
biotic factors
This group includes any organism that must get its energy by eating other living things.
consumers
What is a diagram that combines two or more food chains and shows all the energy flows in an ecosystem called?
food web
What is the general term for any close relationship between two completely different species?
symbiosis
This term describes any specialized behavior animals use to attract and secure a mate.
courtship
This level of organization includes more than one organism of the exact same species living together in an area
population
This specific type of consumer primarily eats dead or decaying organisms rather than hunting live prey.
scavenger
When drawing food chains and food webs, what does the arrow represent?
where the energy is going (the flow of energy)
A bee drinks nectar from a flower and carries pollen to the other flowers it visits, which will help the flowers reproduce. Which relationship is this?
Mutualism
What is the name for the organisms that use specialized shapes and designs to trap and digest other organisms for nutrients?
carnivorous plants
This level of organization includes all of the different living organisms that inhabit and interact within the same area.
community
These organisms break down dead or decaying organisms chemically to return nutrients back to the soil. Also give an example
decomposer: mushroom, earthworms, bacteria, etc.
In an energy pyramid, what is the name for the organisms in the section above the producers? Also, what is another name for an animal at the top of the pyramid?
herbivores or primary consumers
apex predator
What is the relationship where one species benefits from the interaction while the other is not helped or harmed?
Commensalism
What do some organisms do to camouflage and protect their babies from predators and weather?
Build a nest
What is the name of the maximum population size an area can support? This is determined by things like food, water, space, and weather.
carrying capacity
What are the four types of consumers and what do they each eat?
herbivore eats plants
carnivore eats meat
omnivore eats plants and meat
scavenger eats dead things (plants or meat)
When a flower grows it uses most of the energy it creates. When a rabbit eats those flowers, what percentage of the flower's energy does it get?
10%
What is it called when two organisms fight over space, water, food, shelter, or mates? Explain and give the names for both types.
INTRAspecific competition - the same species
INTERspecific competition - different species
What are three types of seed disbursement? also give one specific example of seed disbursement
wind, water, animals
Various accepted examples such as fruit that grows on a tree, dandelion seeds that blow in the wind, or hooks that get stuck to animals as they walk by