Ecology 1
the variety of species in an ecosystem
Biodiversity
An organism that uses sunlight to create its food
What is a producer (autotroph)
Air, water, and the Sun are all ......
abiotic factors
Give an example of a pioneer species
lichen, mosses, some grasses
an organism that hunts, kills, and eats other organisms (thinks top of pyramid - ex. hawk or shark)
What is an apex predator
Living part of an ecosystem is called...
What is biotic?
All individuals of one species that inhabit a geographic area (they can interbreed).
Population
An organism that feeds on dead and decaying animals
What are decomposers?
Plants use this process to turn light into chemical energy
What is photosynthesis?
Food chains that are interconnected/overlaps in a particular ecosystem
What is a food web?
Process following a disturbance where only rocks are left
Primary succession
What happens to the energy level as you move up a trophic pyramid? How much energy is transferred?
decreases - only 10% is passed to the next level
the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can support
carrying capacity
Define niche.
The role, or way of life of a species within its environment.
What are some examples of decomposers?
bacteria, fungi, worms, ants, beetles, sow bugs
What is a mutualism relationship? Provide an example
Both organisms benefit
At the bottom of a trophic pyramid, what are those organisms called
What are producers (autotrophs)
Describe what will happen to this food chain overtime if their is a disease that kills all the Raccoons
Grass --> Rabbit --> Raccoon --> Wolf
The wolf population will decrease. The rabbit population will increase and then decrease because the grass population will eventually decrease from overgrazing.
Bush --> Deer --> Fox --> Coyote
Place this food chain in an energy pyramid. Label the consumers and producer.
Draw on board
On a trophic pyramid what is the organism that eats the producer (second level of the pyramid)
What are primary consumers?
Describe how an invasive species effects an ecosystem
Invasive species can eat food sources of the native species causing the native species to die off even to the point of extinction
Where does lost energy go when moving up the trophic pyramid?
It is lost to heat and metabolic processes.
An animal that eats plants or other animals and does not make its own food.
What is a consumer?
Name two human activities that affect global systems
Burning fossil fuels, deforestation, monoculture, develepment/urbanization, habitat fragmentation, hunting/fishing, introduction of invasive species, pollution
Only one species benefits without harming or benefitting the other.
commensalism
bush --> deer --> Fox --> coyote
If the deer passes 13,000 kCal of energy to the fox, how many kCal will the coyote gain from the fox?
1300
Trees are growing. Climax community is reached
a process that uses chemicals (not sunlight) to generate energy
chemosynthesis
Organisms in deep areas of ocean would have to adapt to not use this for producing energy
light
Difference between primary and secondary succession
Primary succession starts after a disturbance in which no soil or living things are left
Secondary succession starts after a disturbance leaves some soil and maybe some living things