Intro to Science and Bio
Define Science
science is the use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena.
How is the biosphere organized? "smallest to largest"
organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
a food chain shows ONE set of feeding relationships (a chain) and a food web shows ALL possible feeding relationships (a web)
Name the four biogeochemical cycles that we learned.
Define biological community
groups of different species of organisms living in the same area at the same time
What is biology the study of?
The study of life
What is symbiosis?
a close relationship that exists when two or more species live together
what are producers, consumers, and decomposers
producers make their own food, consumers eat food, and decomposers break down dead organisms
Matter is neither created nor destroyed (law conservation of mass), so we must cycle nutrients for life to continue
The change that occurs in an ecosystem when one community replaces another as a result of changing biotic and abiotic factors.
What are the steps in the scientific method?
1. Observation 2. Question
3. Hypothesis 4. Experiment
5. Analysis 6. Conclusion
What were our 3 symbiotic relationships that we learned about?
parasitism, commensalism, mutualism
what is the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph?
autotrophs make their own food (producers) and heterotrophs have to eat food (consumers)
what are the steps of the water cycle?
evaporation/transpiration, condensation, precipitation, collection storage, repeat
Contract primary succession and secondary succession
primary succession - ecological succession that begins with bare rock
secondary succession - ecological succession that begins with soil still on the ground
List 4 of the 8 characteristics of life.
made of one or more cells, displays organization, grows and develops, reproduces, responds to stimuli, requires energy, maintains homeostasis, adaptions that evolve over time
What were our 2 non-symbiotic relationships that we learned?
competition, predator-prey
What is the 10% rule?
only 10% of energy is passed on from each trophic level to the next (100%, 10%, 1%, 0.1%)
What is the roll of photosynthesis in the carbon cycle?
plants capture the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during photosynthesis and make sugar they pass down in the carbon cycle
Classify the stage of succession of a field that is overgrown with shrubs after a couple of years of disuse
Intermediate Stage
Explain how specialized cells are organized to carry out essential functions in multicellular organisms.
Multicellular organisms have a hierarchical structural organization, in which any one system is made up of numerous parts and is itself is component of the next level. ex: lung cells are grouped together to form a lung; they work together to perform breathing
Identify how temperature is a limiting factor for polar bears.
Polar bears survive in very cold climates the best; temperature becomes a limiting factor when it restricts the numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms (ex: global warming makes the polar bears habitat warmer, so they have trouble surviving)
How does photosynthesis provide energy to the rest of the steps in a food chain or web
the source of energy for food chains and webs comes from the sun and is captured by plants in photosynthesis; 100% of the energy begins with our producers
What types of plants are important for the nitrogen cycle and why?
legumes (beans) because their roots attract nitrogen-fixing bacteria that capture nitrogen from the atmosphere making it accessible for organisms to use
Describe how the stages of succession can change a rocky field into a mature forest.
left with soil, we begin secondary succession: Pioneer stages: soil, grasses; intermediate stage: shrubs and small trees; climax community(mature stage): mature, stable forest