Ecology
This is the study of interactions among organisms and their environment.
What is ecology?
These sharp structures protect plants from being eaten.
What are thorns?
This relationship benefits both organisms.
What is mutualism?
These organisms make their own food using sunlight.
What are producers?
Plants need this gas from the air to perform photosynthesis.
What is carbon dioxide?
These are the nonliving parts of an environment like air, water, soil, and sunlight.
What are abiotic factors?
Some plants produce these chemicals to make animals sick or taste bad.
What are toxins (or poisons)?
This relationship benefits one organism while the other is unaffected.
What is commensalism?
These organisms must eat other organisms for energy.
What are consumers?
This provides the energy plants need to make food.
What is sunlight?
This term describes all the living and nonliving parts of an environment together.
What is an ecosystem?
This defense allows a plant to mimic another organism or blend into its surroundings.
What is camouflage?
This relationship benefits one organism and harms the other.
What is parasitism?
These organisms break down dead matter and return nutrients to the soil.
What are decomposers?
This process allows plants to make glucose.
What is photosynthesis?
This is the largest number of individuals an environment can support over time.
What is carrying capacity?
This sticky or irritating substance discourages herbivores from eating leaves.
What is sap (or irritating oils)?
Bees pollinating flowers is an example of this type of symbiosis.
What is mutualism?
This diagram shows how energy moves through trophic levels.
What is an energy pyramid?
This nutrient (N) helps plants grow leaves and stems.
What is nitrogen?
This is any factor, living or nonliving, that limits population size.
What is a limiting factor?
Some plants release chemicals into the air when they are being eaten, signaling nearby plants to activate their defenses.
What is chemical signaling (or plant communication)?
Fleas living on a dog demonstrate this relationship.
What is parasitism?
This shows multiple connected food chains.
What is a food web?
This factor refers to the temperature and weather patterns of a region.
What is climate?