Vocabulary
These are groups of organisms that interact closely with one another and their physical environment.
Ecosystems
Name three abiotic factors in an ecosystem.
Energy, climate, weather, minerals, water, air, pH, salinity, temperature, soil, sunlight, etc.
Where does the energy in a food web/food chain always come from?
Energy from the sun that is used by photosynthetic organisms!
The relationship that exists when athlete’s foot fungus grows on a human is an example of...
Parasitism. The fungus is the parasite and the human is the host.
What are the reactants of photosynthesis that are needed to create energy for ecosystems?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), as well as sunlight to break and rearrange those bonds.
What is the term for a consumer that eats both plants and animals?
Omnivore
Name three biotic factors in an ecosystem.
Producers, consumers, decomposers, bacteria, fungi, protists, etc.
The transfer or energy
A jaguar hunting an antelope is an example of which organism interaction?
Predation
True or false: Energy and matter can be destroyed?
False! Energy and matter can be rearranged, transferred, stored, and transformed, but cannot be destroyed!!!
These are regions that exist around the world with varying temperatures and rates of precipitation, and are grouped within existing, predictable patterns
Biomes
Abiotic factors that affect the growth of grass in a lawn include:
A. bacteria and soil
B. earthworms and nutrients
C. moisture and minerals
D. fertilizer and decomposers
C. Moisture and minerals. They are nonliving (abiotic) factors of that ecosystem.
What is the primary difference between a food chain and a food web?
Food webs show linear energy transfers between a select group of organisms. Food webs are much more complex and can show whole ecosystem interactions.
The size of a mouse population in a natural ecosystem tends to remain relatively constant due to...
The carrying capacity of the ecosystem
Some of the energy taken in by an organism is not available to other organisms in a food web. Energy that is not available to other organisms in a food web is energy that is
A. stored in the remains of a dead animal
B. lost to the environment as heat
C. stored in eggs produced during sexual reproduction
D. produced in muscle tissue during the growth of an organism
B. Some of the energy transferred between trophic levels is lost as heat.
This is anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing.
Limiting factor. Examples: Food, mates, competition, temperature, altitude, etc.
Abiotic factors that could affect the stability of an ecosystem could include
A. hurricanes, packs of wolves, and temperature
B. blizzards, heat waves, and swarms of grasshoppers
C. droughts, floods, and heat waves
D. species of fish, number of decomposers, and supply of algae
C. Droughts, floods, and heat waves.
This is the highest trophic level on the energy pyramid, and it has the lowest amount of biomass present in an ecosystem.
Quaternary consumers/Apex predators
When one organism benefits and the other is harmed, this is called...
Parasitism
What is the role of decomposers in the cycling of matter and energy in an ecosystem?
Decomposers play a critical role in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers.
What is biodiversity and why is it important for ecosystems?
It is the variety and diversity of living things across the Earth. More biodiversity means more stability!
What is an example of a major biotic factor that would affect consumers in an ocean biome?
Number of producers (autotrophs)
Which type of organism can obtain energy directly from any of the other organisms in an ecosystem?
Decomposers
What will most likely occur if two different plant species compete for the same requirements in an ecosystem?
One of the plants will be eliminated from the ecosystem, and the other will survive (survival of the fittest/competition)
What percentage of biomass in an energy pyramid is transferred between trophic levels?
10%