Ecosystems
What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?
Biotic: living things
Abiotic: nonliving things
What are the 3 nutrient cycles that move elements in an ecosystem?
Water, carbon, nitrogen
What is the role of a species and the resources they use in an ecosystem called?
Niche
What are on the bottom of the food chain that provide energy for every other level?
Producers
What the the 3 ways populations can be measured?
Size, density, dispersion
A group of the same kind of organism living together is called a(n)...
Population
What is evaporation of water?
Water turning from liquid to gas
When 2 species are competing, what happens to the less efficient species?
Gets kicked out or dies.
What show how food chains are interconnected, and include detritivores and decomposers?
Food webs
What 4 factors can effect populations?
Births, deaths, immigration, emigration
List 2 biotic factors and 2 abiotic factors.
Biotic: plants, animals, bacteria
Abiotic: water, sunlight, temperature
What is it called when water turns from gas to liquid?
Condensation
What is mutualism?
Both species benefit from their interaction
What are the 2 types of organisms that feed on dead organisms?
Detritivores and decomposers
What is the maximum number of a species that can sustainably live in a given area.
Carrying capacity
List the 4 levels of an ecosystem from smallest to largest.
Individual (organism), Population, Community, Ecosystem
What are 3 biological processes that are part of the carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition
What is commensalism?
One organism benefits, one is unaffected
List the order of trophic levels from bottom to top.
Producers, primary, secondary, tertiary, apex consumers
List 2 biotic and 2 abiotic factors that could be limiting factors.
Biotic: Predators, competition, shortage of mates, disease
Abiotic: Sunlight, temperature, nutrients, precipitation
What is the difference between a community and an ecosystem?
Community: populations of all living (biotic) things
Ecosystem: community of all biotic AND abiotic factors
Explain the water cycle.
Water evaporates from ground water, it condenses as it rises and creates clouds, when the clouds get heavy they release water and it precipitates (rain). The cycle starts over.
What is exploitation AND the 2 types?
One organism benefits, the other is harmed
Predator/prey and parasitism
What percent of energy is passed on between each trophic level?
10%
Provide an example of a density independent and a density dependent factor.
Independent: Natural disasters
Dependent: Predation, disease, competition
What are the 5 main elements that make up ecosystems?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus
What is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing?
Climate Change
How do predator/prey relationships help maintain balance in an ecosystem?
One rises, other rises
One decreases, other decreases
Place these organisms in the order they would appear on a food chain: rabbit, fox, carrot, lion
Carrot -> rabbit -> fox -> lion
When the population shrinks below carrying capacity what happens to the resources?
They increase/replenish