Introduction to Ecology
Biotic Factor
What is the process of burning fossil fuels and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?
Combustion
Which organism helps convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form?
bacteria
What is the term for a population growing rapidly without limits?
Exponential Growth
Which type of succession begins on bare rock with no soil?
Primary Succession
List one example of an abiotic factor
sunlight, water, weather, etc.
Name one human activity that negatively impacts the carbon cycle
Combustion of Fossil Fuels or deforestation
What is the process where bacteria convert nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen?
Denitrification
What type of population dispersion is seen in wolves that live in packs?
Clumped
The type of succession that begins after a major disturbance like a forest fire, but soil remains.
Secondary Succession
The total variety of organisms in an ecosystem, affected by habitat destruction and human activities.
biodiversity
What would happen to CO2 levels if deforestation continues unchecked?
What is the process of converting ammonia into nitrites and nitrates?
nitrification
Name two factors that could decrease population density.
emigration and decreased death rates
What is sustainability
The practice of managing natural resources in a way that supports long-term ecological balance and prevents degradation of ecosystems.
What type of symbiotic relationship is this example: The bees collect nectar and pollen from the flowers for food, while helping the flowers with pollination, allowing them to reproduce.
Mutualism
What do plants take in to produce glucose in the carbon cycle?
Carbon dioxide
This process converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form that is usable for some plants to be able to uptake
nitrogen fixation
This limiting factor is a density-independent factor caused by seasonal changes, such as colder temperatures reducing plant growth and affecting food availability.
climate
What role do pioneer species play in succession?
They begin soil formation or reformation
List the levels of organization that we study in ECOLOGY from smallest to largest.
Organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, biosphere
How does carbon move through a food chain?
Producers (plants) take in carbon dioxide and go through the process of photosynthesis to make glucose. Consumers will eat the glucose and release it back into the atmosphere trough cellular respiration.
Name a human impact that disrupts the nitrogen cycle
Excess use of fertilizers that are nitrogen-rich
The term for when population growth slows or stops as a result of limiting factors like limited food, space, or increased predation
carrying capacity
Discuss why it would be cleaner for the environment to switch to alternative energy sources: greenhouse gases, climate change, renewable energy and nonrenewable energy
witching to alternative energy sources like solar and wind reduces the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change. Unlike nonrenewable energy sources such as coal and oil, renewable energy sources do not deplete finite resources (resources that we will run out of). Renewable energy like solar and wind power generates electricity without polluting the atmosphere. This shift helps mitigate global warming and creates a cleaner, more sustainable environment.