Vocabulary
More Vocabulary
Symbiosis
Natural Selection
Graphing
100
The name for a group of organisms that has similar DNA and are able to mate and have offspring.
What is species?
100
An organism that kills another.
What is a predator?
100
A relationship in which both species benefit.
What is mutualism?
100
The "error" or change in a gene that can lead to a change in the phenotype of an organism.
What is a mutation?
100
Look at the graphs of bats and moths on the board. What type of relationship do these two organisms have?
Predator-prey.
200
The name for organisms of the same species living in the same area.
What is population?
200
The organism that is killed by a predator.
What is prey?
200
A relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.
What is commensalism?
200
Behaviors and physical characteristics that allow organisms to successfully live in their environments and have more offspring than less well-suited organisms.
What are adaptations?
200
Does graph B show a healthy or unhealthy ecosystem? Why?
Healthy. The ecosystem is healthy because as the numbers of predators go up, the numbers of prey go down, and vice versa. However, the populations never become zero.
300
The name for all of the different communities (different species) in an area plus all of the non-living factors of that area.
What is ecosystem?
300
The type of organism that breaks down dead organisms.
What is a decomposer?
300
A relationship in which one organism benefits from living on or in another organism, and the other organism is harmed.
What is parasitism?
300
Why did dark moths grow in population number during the Industrial Revolution while peppered (light-colored) moths decreased?
Because dark moths blended in to pollution-covered trees and light colored moths were eaten by predators, allowing the dark moths to reproduce and become a larger population.
300
Is graph C healthy or unhealthy? Why?
Unhealthy. The graph shows that the moths only increase and the bats only decrease without any balance. Eventually the bats die out completely.
400
Name 3 abiotic factors of an ecosystem.
What are water, air, rocks/soil, or sunlight?
400
The maximum population number that an area can sustain.
What is carrying capacity?
400
What type of symbiosis is described here? A flea feeds on the blood of a cat, leading to itching and hair loss.
What is parasitism?
400
In the 1980s, there was a drought on the Galapagos that led to a seed shortage. After birds ate all the small, soft seeds, only large, tough seeds were left to eat. There were finches with large, tough beaks as well as finches with smaller, weaker beaks. What happened to the population of these two types of finches?
The finches with large, tough beaks increased in number because they could eat the tough seeds. The finches with smaller beaks decreased in number because they could not eat the seeds.
400
Is Graph D showing a healthy or unhealthy ecosystem?
Unhealthy because both populations go extinct.
500
Name 3 biotic factors of a marine (ocean) ecosystem.
You can name any 3 types of animals, plants, bacteria, or protists from the ocean: crabs, dolphins, seaweed, kelp, sharks, manta rays, etc.
500
Name the limiting factors from our game of Oh, Deer!
What are food, water, and shelter? (You can also include predators).
500
What type of symbiosis is described here? Red-tailed hawks build their nests in a cactus, but this does not harm the cactus.
What is commensalism?
500
Does natural selection happen quickly or slowly?
Natural selection takes place over many generations, so it happens slowly. (However, if an organism has a short generation time--like bacteria!--it can happen quickly).
500
What clues will you see on a graph that indicates it is a healthy ecosystem?
You will see predator and prey numbers fluctuating, with numbers of predators going up as prey numbers go down and then vice versa. No population will totally die out or keep growing forever.
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