Vocab
What are living parts of an ecosystem called?
Biotic Factors
What does a food chain show?
How energy moves from one organism to another.
Where does most energy in an ecosystem originally come from?
The Sun.
What is the name of the process plants use to make their own food?
Photosynthesis.
Which biome receives very little rainfall
The Desert.
What are non-living parts of an ecosystem called?
Abiotic Factors
What do the arrows in a food chain represent?
The direction energy flows.
Approximately what percentage of energy transfers to the next trophic level?
10%.
What three things do plants need for photosynthesis?
Sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.
Which biome is known for high rainfall and dense vegetation?
The rainforest.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of living things in an ecosystem.
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain shows one pathway of energy transfer; a food web shows many connected food chains.
What happens to much of the energy that is not transferred to the next trophic level?
It is released into the environment as heat.
What is an animal called if it eats only plants?
A herbivore.
What does sustainability mean?
Using resources responsibly and maintaining ecological balance so resources remain available over time.
An organism that hunts other organisms is called?
A Predator
An animal that is hunted by another animal is called?
Prey
What is a limiting factor? Give one example.
Something that limits population size or health, such as food, predators, climate or suitable habitat.
What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
They break down dead organisms and return nutrients to the environment.
Name two ways humans can negatively affect ecosystems.
Examples include pollution, habitat destruction, deforestation, excessive water use and chemical spills.
What is the difference between a native species and an introduced species?
A native species occurs naturally in an ecosystem; an introduced species is brought into an ecosystem where it did not previously live.
What is it called when two species eat the same food source in a food web?
Competition.
What is the difference between a density-dependent and density-independent limiting factor?
Density-dependent factors are affected by population size; density-independent factors are not.
What is the difference between a scavenger and a decomposer?
Scavengers eat remains of dead animals; decomposers break down dead matter and return nutrients to the environment.
What is ecological succession, and what are its two types?
The natural replacement of one community by another over time; primary and secondary succession.