Levels of Organization
All of the biotic and abiotic factors in a particular area
ecosystem
All of the biotic and abiotic things that interact within a particular area.
Organisms that cannot make their own food
Consumers or heterotrophs
disturbance or disruption
Slow and steady population growth
logistic growth
This is the term that refers to instinctive behaviors
innate behaviors
The place in which an organism lives
Habitat
Anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population. For example, predators or the amount of water present
Limiting factor
Any long term, close relationship between different species
Symbiosis
The name given to ecosystems recovering from a disturbance when no soil is present
Primary succession
The type of population growth that occurs when a population is not being affected by limiting factors
exponential growth
These types of behaviors are only gained through experience.
learned behaviors
All the organism in an ecosystem that belong to the same species
Population
The largest number of individuals of one species that an ecosystem can support over time
Carrying capacity
A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit
The name given to ecosystems recovering from a disturbance that still have soil present
Which type of population growth are most of the species experiencing within stable ecosystems?
logistic growth
All types of animal behavior contribute to an organism's _________, which refers to its ability to survive and reproduce.
evolutionary fitness
Different populations interacting in a particular area
Community
The study of interactions that occur among organisms and their environment
Ecology
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected
Commensalism
The name given to the first species to return to an ecosystem after a disturbance
pioneer species
Identify three density-dependent limiting factors.
number of predators and/or prey
competition
number of parasites/prey
amount of water
amount of food
This type of behavior occurs when an organism ignores a repeated stimulus that is not important to their evolutionary fitness
habituation
How an organism survives, including its habitat, how it obtains food and shelter, and how it avoids danger.
Niche
Organisms that use an outside energy source, such as the sun, to make their own food
Producers or autotrophs
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is harmed
Parasitism
This is the name given to an ecosystem's most stable and biodiverse form
climax community
Identify three density-independent limiting factors.
storms
earthquakes
forest fires
human development/building
Something in an organism's environment that causes it to react
a stimulus
All life on Earth
the biosphere
Why are there always less apex predators than producers in every ecosystem?
Because energy decreases as it moves up food chains so there is less energy to support large predator populations
The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park significantly changed the behavior of _______ which prevented them from eating too many ______.
deer, plants
Why are biodiverse ecosystems more stable and resilient?
Because they contain more options in the form of different species, traits, processes, niches, habitats, etc. Some of these can respond effectively to environmental changes.
The most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems are __________ while the most biodiverse aquatic ecosystems are __________.
tropical rainforests, coral reefs
Identify three things that animals commonly communicate about.
food/resources
mating
territory
shelter
predators