Ecosystem Basics
Levels of Organization
Abiotic Factors
Population and Community
100

What is the study of ecosystems called?

Ecology

100

What is the smallest level of ecological organization?

Species

100

What does the term abiotic mean?

Non-living

100

What is a population in ecological terms?

A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area at the same time. 

200

Define what an ecosystem includes

All living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components in a specific area. 

200

How is a population defined?

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area. 

200

List three examples of abiotic factors found in the classroom ecosystem. 

Can include:

Table, chairs, board, walls, floor, poster, etc. 

200

What is a community in ecological terms?

A group of different species that live together in a specific area and interact with one another. 

300

Name one example of a biotic factor in an ecosystem. 

Can include any living animal or plant. 

300

Explain what a community is in ecological terms. 

Multiple populations of different species in a specific area at a given time. 

300

How do abiotic factors influence the living organisms in an ecosystem?

By affecting their survival, reproduction, and distribution.

300

Compare and contract community and population. 

Population has animals of the same species in a given area at a given time but a community has multiple species in a given area at a given time. 

They both focus on a given area at a given time. 

400

What term describes all living organisms in a given area?

Community

400

What are the four levels of ecological organization that come before a biome?

Organism

Population

Community

Ecosystem

400

Why is it important to consider abiotic factors when studying ecosystems?

They significantly affect the health and function of ecosystems

400

What factors can affect the size of a population?

Birth rates, death rates, immigration, emigration. 

500

How do ecosystems differ from one another?

Their species, climate, geography, and abiotic factors.

500

Describe the relationship between species and populations. 

Species are individual organisms, while populations are groups of the same species; populations are made up of multiple species. 

500

Give an example of an abiotic component in a freshwater ecosystem. 

Water

500

How do species within a community interact with each other?

Through competition, predation, mutualism, and commensalism.