What is Ecology
What is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment?
What type of factor would temperature be considered?
Abiotic (non living) factor
What organisms make their own food using sunlight?
What do we call organisms that eat other organisms?
Consumer (Heterotroph)
What cycle does precipitation play a major role in?
The Water Cycle
What is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area called?
Population
What are the living components of an ecosystem called?
Biotic Factors
What is the main source of energy for most ecosystems?
The Sun (sunlight)
What type of consumer eats both plants and animals?
What type of consumer eats both plants and animals?
Name two elements that are cycled through an ecosystem that are key to living things.
Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Sulfur
What level of organization includes both living and nonliving things?
Environment
Give one example of an abiotic factor
Rock, Sunlight, Air, Oxygen, Dirt, Water, etc.
What percentage of energy is typically passed from one trophic level to the next?
10%
What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
Break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients
What cycle relies on bacteria to transform and convert this element between the soil and atmosphere?
The Nitrogen Cycle
A group of toads living in a swamp would be which level of ecological organization?
Population
Explain two reasons why fire is an abiotic factor (is non living)
Fire is not made of cells, fire does not have DNA, fire does not evolve, etc.
Why are there fewer organisms at the top of an energy pyramid?
Because less energy is available at higher trophic levels
Carnivores hunt and kill animals, scavengers eat dead animals
How might cutting down forests affect the carbon cycle?
Less carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (less photosynthesis)
What are the six levels of ecological organization from smallest to largest (in order)?
Individual-Population-Community-Ecosystem-Biome-Biosphere
Give an example of how a biotic factor interacts/depends on an abiotic factor to survive
Examples:
Trees/plants need sunlight to survive
Fish need water temperature to be stable
Humans need water to survive
What is a series of steps showing how energy moves from one organism to another?
Food Chain
What are two ways producers (autotrophs) can obtain energy?
Photosynthesis (use sunlight)
Chemo-synthesis (use chemicals)
A forest fire releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Which cycle is most directly affected and why?
Carbon cycle; carbon stored in plants is released into the atmosphere (OR less trees to absorb carbon dioxide)