Organisms and Organization
This term describes ALL the members of one species living in the same place at the same time.
Population
Is an oak tree a biotic or abiotic factor?
Biotic — it is a living component of the environment.
This type of graph is best for showing how temperature changes over a 24-hour period.
Line graph
A bear enters a deep sleep all winter to survive cold and food scarcity. This survival strategy is called ________.
Dormancy
A giant panda eats almost exclusively bamboo. This makes it a __________ rather than a generalist.
Specialist
This level of ecological organization includes all interacting organisms living in a given area — not just one species.
Community
Soil pH, water temperature, and the amount of sunlight are all examples of this type of environmental factor.
Abiotic factors
A pie chart is used to compare these.
Percentages
A monarch butterfly travels thousands of miles south each fall to avoid cold weather. This is an example of __________.
Migration
This term describes what an organism eats, how it gets its food, and what eats it — not just where it lives.
Niche
This is the term for a large, naturally occurring region defined by its climate and the types of plants and animals that live there, such as a tundra or tropical rainforest.
Biome
A coral reef is warming due to climate change. Rising ocean temperature is what type of factor — and how might it affect organisms whose tolerance range is narrow?
Abiotic factor; organisms near the edge of their tolerance range may no longer survive.
A study found that 80% of lung cancer patients were smokers. This data shows a __________ between smoking and lung cancer, but does NOT prove one causes the other.
Correlation
A lizard's body temperature rises and falls with its surroundings. This makes the lizard a __________ rather than a regulator.
Conformer
A raccoon eats fruit, fish, garbage, and insects, and thrives in cities and forests alike. This makes it a __________.
Generalist
This is the term for ALL parts of Earth that support life — the outermost level of ecological organization.
Biosphere
A forest has bacteria decomposing logs, deer grazing, and mushrooms growing. Which of these are biotic factors, and which are abiotic?
Biotic: bacteria, deer, mushrooms. Abiotic: soil, water, sunlight, temperature — none of those listed are abiotic, all three are biotic.
In an experiment where a scientist changes the amount of light plants receive and measures growth, what is the independent variable?
The amount of light the plant receives
A human's core body temperature stays near 98.6°F even in freezing weather. This is because humans are __________, using energy to maintain internal conditions.
Regulators
A forest has many bird species that all coexist without directly competing. Using the concept of ecological niche, explain how this is possible.
Each species occupies a slightly different niche — different food sources, foraging heights, or feeding times — so they don't compete directly for the same resources.
This word describes the dependence of every organism on its connections with both the living and nonliving parts of its environment.
Interdependence
Explain the difference between biotic and abiotic factors and give one original example of each in a desert ecosystem.
Biotic = living (e.g., a cactus or snake); Abiotic = nonliving physical/chemical (e.g., sand temperature or rainfall amount).
Syd records average monthly temperatures from April–September. He wants to display continuous change over time. Which graph type should he use, and what goes on each axis?
Line graph; months on the x-axis (independent), temperature in °C on the y-axis (dependent).
Compare dormancy and migration as survival strategies. For each, name one organism that uses it and describe what environmental condition triggers it.
Dormancy: bears hibernate in winter when food is scarce and temps drop. Migration: monarch butterflies fly south when temperatures fall and daylight shortens.
Compare a specialist and a generalist in terms of diet, habitat flexibility, and vulnerability to environmental change. Which is more at risk if its environment changes dramatically?
Specialists have narrow diets and strict habitat needs, making them more vulnerable to environmental change. Generalists adapt more easily due to flexible diets and habitats.