Ecology Vocab
What is carrying capacity
the max amount a population size can reach due to the environment limits
What is the role of a decomposer
to break down dead animals and plants
Define renewable and nonrenewable energy
renewable: can be replinshed easily
nonrenewable: takes a long time to be replinished
What is a dead zone
a body of water that has little to no dissolved oxygen
define the tragedy of commons
when individuals, acting out of self interest, overuse shared resources
Define predator and prey
predator: an animal that survives on hunting and eating other animals
prey: animals that are eaten
What is the relationship between predator and prey (think about the population sizes change)
as prey increases, predator will increase
as prey decreases, predator decreases
Give 3 examples of renewable resources
wind
solar
biomass
geothermal
What is the primary indicator of eutrophication
algae blooms
what is a solution to the tragedy of commons
government regulations
Define carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore
carnivore: eats only meat
herbivore: eats only plants
omnivore: eats both
which has more energy units, primary consumers or tertiary consumers
primary
Give 2 examples of nonrenewable resources
nuclear
fossil fuels (crude oil, coal, natural gas)
What is point source pollution
identifiable source of pollution
give and example of the tragedy of commons
overfishing
overgrazing
What is an autotroph
What are the products of photsynthesis
sugar (glucose) and oxygen
What is uranium used for
nuclear energy
Eutrophication is caused by the build up of what 2 nutrients
nitrogen and phosphorous
wood, leaves, and manure are all examples of which energy resource
biomass
What is the 10% rule
only 10% of energy is passed to the next trophic level
What are the reactants of cellular respiration
sugar (glucose) and oxygen
what is a disadvantage of hydroelectric power
stops fish migration
If you were conducting an experiment on water quality and you see only pollution tolerant organism, what can you say about the water
it is polluted
What is the albedo effect
how much sunlight is absorbed by an object vs how much is reflected