Ecosystems
Name 3 abiotic factors in an ecosystem
3 non living factors
What is a limiting factor?
anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing
Is drought a density-dependent or density-independent limiting factor?
Density Independent
Give an example of a producer
plants
Name one trophic level on the trophic pyramid
primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers
What is the difference between abiotic and biotic factors?
Abiotic are non-living and biotic are living
What is the biosphere
our planet contains all ecosystems and environments
Is a wild fire a density-dependent or density-independent limiting factor?
Density independent
What is a consumer
Living things that get their energy by eating other plants or animals
Give an example of an animal that would be considered a primary consumer
answers vary
Give an example of how Abiotic and Biotic factors interact with each other
plants (biotic) need sunlight (abiotic)
animals (biotic) need water (abiotic)
What is a biome
A biome is a large geographical area that is characterized by its unique climate, vegetation, and animal life
Is competition a density-dependent or density-independent limiting factor?
Density dependent
animals compete for food, water, or space
What are the 3 types of consumers
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores
What is the 10% rule
when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on
What is an ecosystem?
All living things interacting within their environment
What is Ecology
study of the relationships of organisms and their environment
Is disease a density-dependent or density-independent limiting factor?
density dependent - it will spread more easily in more populated areas
What is the difference between a food web and food chain?
A food chain shows one single path of energy flow — who eats whom.
➡️ Example: grass → rabbit → fox
Food web: shows many connected food chains in an ecosystem — it’s more realistic.
➡️ Example: the rabbit, deer, and grasshopper might all eat grass, and several predators might eat them.
Give an example of an organism for each level of the trophic pyramid
answers vary
What’s the difference between a population and a community?
A population is a group of the same species and a community is multiple species interacting with each other
What is biodiversity?
the variety of life
What is the difference between a density-dependent and density-independent limiting factor?
Density-dependent limiting factors depend on how many organisms are in an area — they have a bigger effect when the population is large.
Density-independent limiting factors affect all populations the same way, no matter how crowded they are.
Give an example of a food chain
check answer
Why does there need to be more primary producers than consumers higher up on the pyramid?
There need to be more primary producers (like plants) because they provide the energy for all other levels.
Only a small amount of energy (about 10%) moves up each level, so there must be lots of producers to support the fewer consumers above them.