Ecology 1
Ecology is the study of what?
The interactions between living things and their environment
Give me 3 abiotic factors
(any 3 non-living things)
Give me 3 biotic factors
(any 3 living things)
Define community
Multiple populations within the same environment
ecological relationship where both species are benefiting?
mutualism
The space on this planet that houses both abiotic and biotic factors (the whole planet)
The biosphere
The number of different species within an area is called what?
Biodiversity
In the carbon cycle, what form of carbon is often returned to the atmosphere?
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
What is released at each step of the trophic level?
Heat (energy)
ecological relationship where one species is benefitting and the other is receiving a negative effect?
Parasitism
What is the name for when it rains or snows in the water cycle?
precipitation
What is it called when water is turned into a gas and goes up into the atmosphere?
evaporation
Describe the difference between a Primary producer and a primary consumer
Primary producers are plants/autotrophs and the primary consumers are the animals eating them
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
food chain is a single path of energy transfer, and the food web is all possible paths of energy transfer and is more realistic.
explain exponential growth?
growth that starts slow, and then increases at an increasingly fast level (j-curve)
During the nitrogen cycle, what organisms help break down and recycle the nitrogen into a more usable form?
Bacteria
Give me an example of a K-selected species, and explain what it is.
any species that reproduces slow, and few offspring at a time. (humans, whales, elephants etc.)
Give me an example of an R-selected species
what is the difference between primary and secondary succession?
Primary succession is the first time ever for a species to inhabit the area, and this usually takes a very long time.
Secondary succession is what would happen after a wild fire, and takes less time.
what is the carrying capacity?
the amount of a certain species that an environment can support for an extended period of time.
Come to the board (without help from your team) and draw a food chain containing 4 organisms (none of which can be humans)
results will vary, but must start with a producer
List the levels of ecological organization for ecology
organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biome
Give me an example of a density-independent factor
wild fires, hurricanes, drought, etc.
give me an example of a density dependent factor
viruses, diseases, competition, predators
Give me an example of a pioneer species
Lichen