Define
What is Ecology?
The study of how living things interact with each other and with their environment.
What is an ecosystem?
All the living and nonliving things that interact in an area.
What is carrying capacity?
The largest population that an environment can support.
The role an organism plays is called a?
Niche
What do producers do?
Through photosynthesis they produce their own food
What is an organism?
A living thing
What is a species?
Single kind of organism; they are a group of organisms that are physically similar and can reproduce with each other to produce fertile offspring.
Factors that affect population size are.
Birth, immigration, death, emigration.
Name the levels of organization in an ecosystem from smallest to largest.
Organism, species, population, community, and ecosystem.
What do consumers do?
Consume other living things
The place where an organism lives and that provides the things the organism needs is called a?
Habitat
What is a population? Give an example.
All the members of one species in a particular area.
Ex. All the pigeons in New York City
would all insects in a forest be considered a population? Why or why not?
No; the insects would be of many different species. Only organisms of the same species form a population.
The major way in which new individuals are added to a population and the major way in which individuals leave a population is by
The birth of offspring; birthrate.
Dying; deathrate.
What does an herbivore eat?
Eat only plants (nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies).
Define "biotic factors". Give 2 examples.
Biotic factors are the LIVING things in an ecosystem. Examples include any organism: plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, or protist.
All the different populations that live together in an area make up what?
A community
difference compare and contrast a detritivore and a Scavenger. Give examples.
While both scavengers and detritivores are heterotrophs that consume dead organic matter, a scavenger is not a detritivore, but rather a type of consumer that feeds on soft tissues of dead animals (carcasses), while detritivores feed on a broader range of dead organic material, including plant matter and animal feces.
Examples:
Scavengers- vultures, raccoons
Detritivores- earthworms, dung beetles, sea cucumbers, sea stars, lobsters, millipedes
How is birth rate related to population size?
If the birthrate is higher than the death rate, the population increases.
If the birthrate is lower than the death rate, the population decreases.
If the rates are the same, the population stays the same.
What do omnivores eat?
Eat both plants and meat.
Define "Abiotic Factors." Give 3 examples of abiotic factors.
Abiotic factors are the NONLIVING parts of an ecosystem. Rocks (soil) - sun - air (oxygen)- water, temp, etc.
What is an "Autotroph" and what is it also considered?
An organism that can produce its own food. They are also considered producers.
What are decomposers, and why are they important? Give examples.
Decomposers break down dead and decaying matter. They are important because they recycle the nutrients back into the soil. Also, if we had no decomposers, the world would be filled with dead things!
Example: bacteria and fungi.
Describe the methods ecologist use to determine the size of a population?
Direct observation- to count, one by one all of its members.
Indirect observation- to observe their tracks or other signs rather than the organism.
Sampling- a type of estimating that involves counting the number of organisms in a small area (sample) and then multiplying to find the number in a larger area.
Mark-and-recapture - another estimating method which gets its name because some animals are first captured, marked, and released into the environment. Then another group of animals is captured. The number of marked animals in the second group indicates the population size.
Name the 6 types of consumers
Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore, Scavenger, detritivore, and Decomposer