Ecology Basics
What is the study of how living things interact with each other and the environment?
Is soil biotic or abiotic?
Abiotic
What do we call an organism that makes its own food?
Producer
What is the main source of energy in most ecosystems?
The sun
What type of Bahamian ecosystem did we visit on our field trip?
Mangrove
A group of the same species living in the same area is called what?
Population
Is a lion biotic or abiotic?
Biotic
What type of consumer only eats plants?
Herbivore or Primary Consumer
What do arrows in a food chain show?
The flow/transfer of energy
What is made up of several connected food chains?
A food web
What do you call the environment where an organism lives and gets its needs met?
Habitat
Is sunlight biotic or abiotic?
Abiotic
Carnivore
What do we call the pyramid that shows how much energy is transferred to each trophic level?
They support marine life and protect the coast.
What is the difference between a community and an ecosystem?
Community - only LIVING things (biotic)
Ecosystem - Living (biotic) AND Non-living things (abiotic)
Is a dead leaf biotic or abiotic?
Biotic
What do decomposers do in an ecosystem?
Break down dead or decaying oranisms
What happens to energy as it moves up the pyramid?
It decreases/becomes less available.
What type of Bahamian ecosystem is the Primeval Forest?
Coppice
What is the specific role an organism plays in its ecosystem called?
Niche
Name one biotic and one abiotic factor in a pond.
Biotic: fish, reeds, lilypads, frogs, bugs
Abiotic: water, silt, rocks
In the food chain Grass --> Grasshopper --> Shrew ---> Owl, who is the tertiary consumer?
Owl
What is the main difference between how energy and matter move through an ecosystem?
Energy flows THROUGH and is lost as heat (one-way)
Matter cycles
What is the name of the algae that cover coral, giving the coral its color?
Zooxanthellae