Definitions
Define carrying capacity.
The maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support
Dogs are a popular pet for humans. In exchange for food and a warm home, they provide companionship to their owners. What kind of relationship is this?
Mutualism
Where does all energy come from?
Sunlight
Name 2 limiting factors.
What are the 3 main types of heterotrophs?
Omnivore, carnivore, herbivore
What are the terms used to describe each organism in a parasitism relationship, and what are their roles?
Orchids are a type of flower that can be found on nearly every continent. To reach sunlight and gain resources, they "climb"/grow up the trunks of trees, who do not notice. What type of relationship is this?
Commensalism
What are the inputs of photosynthesis?
Water, sunlight, CO2
What happens to a prey population when their predator population decreases? Why?
It increases because there are fewer predators trying to hunt them.
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food web shows all of the interactions within the ecosystem.
Define ecology.
The study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment
Miss Wagner's cat, although perfect and amazing, is a menace. He bites her and scratches her, while she offers him food and shelter in return. Based on this explanation, what type of relationship does Miss Wagner have with her cat?
Parasitism
How are photosynthesis and respiration related?
They are inverses of each other - CO2 and H2O produced by respiration are used in photosynthesis; glucose and O2 produced by photosynthesis are used in respiration
Name 2 things that may cause a prey population to increase.
Decreased predator population, increased food source...
What are the 2 "special kinds" of heterotrophs?
Decomposers and scavengers
Define competition.
The struggle between organisms to survive as they attempt to use the same limited resource
Describe an example of all 3 types of symbiosis.
(Open-ended, but must include a ++, +0, and +- relationship)
Describe 2 uses of the 90% of energy that is NOT passed between trophic levels.
reproduction, growth, movement, development, metabolism...
Name three adaptations that could make a population less vulnerable in an arctic environment.
White coloring, heavy fur, burrowing, scavenging for food, blubber/high fat content, feet for walking on snow/ice...
If a food chain has 5 trophic levels, what is the organism in the 4th position called?
Tertiary consumer
What is a niche, as we have defined it during the ecology unit?
A specialized adaptation unlike other organisms to allow multiple species to thrive in an area
Some humans hunt their own turkeys for Thanksgiving. Why is this NOT an example of parasitism?
It is predation - the turkeys are killed for food rather than exploited for resources.
What happens to a scavenger's energy when it dies?
It is consumed by another scavenger, a predator, or a decomposer, who inherits 10% of its energy.
Suppose a secondary consumer acts as a predator towards a primary consumer. What happens to the producer population when the secondary consumer population decreases?
It decreases because there are more primary consumers, and they use the producers as their food source.
Suppose the Sun provides 5000J of energy to a producer. How much energy is received by the tertiary consumer?
5J