Evolution and natural selection
In which relation is neither species harmed?
commensalism
What is the process by which the fittest individuals pass their traits to the next generation?
Natural selection.
What is the difference between a habitat and an ecological niche?
A habitat is where an organism lives; a niche includes its role and environmental conditions.
What is biodiversity?
The number of different species in an area.
What process turns liquid water into water vapor?
Evaporation.
What is coevolution?
Is a process where 2 or more species affect each others evolution due to their interactions and relation in the ecosystem, example if a predator evolve better hunting techniques while the prey evolve better defenses. OR in other feeding relations they evolve structure to help benefit both species in mutualism.
What is adaptation?
The acquisition of traits that allow a species to survive and reproduce in its environment.
What does the competitive exclusion principle state?
Two species cannot occupy the same ecological niche for long; one will outcompete the other.
What is primary succession?
Ecosystem development on previously uninhabited land.
What is transpiration?
The release of water vapor from plant leaves.
What type of succession occurs after a natural process such as volcanic eruption or flood?
secondary succession
What is the original source of new traits in a population?
Mutations in DNA.
What is resource partitioning?
When species divide resources to reduce competition and coexist.
What is secondary succession?
Community development after a disturbance where soil remains.
What process forms clouds?
Condensation.
What role do decomposers play in the nitrogen cycle?
They convert organic nitrogen into ammonia through ammonification.
Compare directional selection and stabilizing selection.
Directional selection favors one extreme trait, while stabilizing selection favors the average and reduces variation.
Distinguish between mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
Mutualism: both benefit
Commensalism: one benefits, other unaffected
Parasitism: one benefits, other harmed
What is a climax community?
The final, stable stage of ecological succession
How does infiltration differ from runoff?
Infiltration is water soaking into the ground; runoff flows over land into bodies of water.
Explain how human activities such as fertilizer use affect the nitrogen cycle and ecosystems.
Excess nitrogen runoff can cause eutrophication, leading to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and aquatic dead zones.
Explain how predator-prey relationships can lead to coevolution.
Predators and prey exert selection pressures on each other, causing adaptations in both species over time (e.g., better hunting vs. better defense).
Why are keystone species so important in ecosystems?
They have a large effect on community structure, that ripples through multiple trophic levels.
Explain why more complex ecosystems tend to be more resilient.
They have multiple species and trophic levels that can compensate if one species is lost, maintaining stability.
Explain how the water cycle connects terrestrial, atmospheric, and aquatic systems.
Water evaporates from oceans and land, condenses in the atmosphere, falls as precipitation, and moves through runoff and groundwater, linking all systems.