Ecology Essentials
What branch of biology studies how organisms interact with each other and their surroundings?
Ecology
What do we call all members of the same species living in the same area?
Population
What are the two main factors used to describe climate?
Temperature and precipitation
Which biome is known for extremely low precipitation and organisms adapted to conserve water?
Desert
What do we call organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms?
onsumers / heterotrophs
What term describes all areas of Earth where living organisms can exist?
Biosphere
Wolves living in a forest would be considered what type of ecosystem factor: biotic or abiotic?
Biotic
A city experiences unusually heavy rainfall during one month. Does that single month prove its climate has changed?
No. Climate describes long-term patterns, not one short-term event.
Which biome has permanently frozen ground, very long winters, short summers, and little vegetation?
Tundra
In a food chain, which group normally forms the first energy level?
Producers
A scientist counts how many different species of birds, insects, and plants live in a forest. What is the scientist measuring?
Biodiversity / species richness
Rainfall, temperature, sunlight, and soil are examples of what type of ecosystem factors?
Abiotic factors
Name two geographic factors that can affect an area's temperature and precipitation.
Latitude and elevation
Which biome stays warm throughout the year, receives enormous amounts of rainfall, and has extremely high biodiversity?
Tropical rainforest
Put these in a reasonable food-chain order: carnivore, decomposer, producer, herbivore.
Producer → Herbivore → Carnivore → Decomposer
A pond contains fish, frogs, algae, insects, water, sunlight, and soil. What ecological term describes all of these living and nonliving components together?
Ecosystem
Two deer are both trying to eat from the same limited patch of plants. What ecological interaction is occurring?
Competition
True or False: When moving from one climate zone into another, temperature and precipitation always change suddenly at an exact boundary.
False
Which biome has warm temperatures throughout the year, rainy and dry seasons, large herds of grazing animals, and relatively few trees?
Savanna / tropical grassland
What is each feeding position on an ecological pyramid called?
Trophic level
Explain the difference between a habitat and a niche.
A habitat is where an organism lives; a niche describes its role or way of life within the ecosystem.
Can competition occur between organisms of different species as well as organisms of the same species? Explain.
Yes. Competition can occur whenever organisms need the same limited resource.
Other than temperature and precipitation, name three abiotic factors that can influence climate.
latitude, elevation, proximity to water/ocean currents, wind patterns, etc.
You enter a biome with warm, dry summers; cool, wet winters; and shrubs with tough, waxy leaves. Which biome are you visiting?
Chaparral
Grass → rabbit → fox. Identify the producer, herbivore, and carnivore.
Grass = producer; rabbit = herbivore; fox = carnivore