Levels of Organization
An individual living thing, whether a bacterium, zebra, tree or anything else that is alive, is considered an _________.
organism
All of the biotic and abiotic things that interact within a particular area.
Organisms that cannot make their own food
Consumers or heterotrophs
The place in which an organism lives
Habitat
What does anthropogenic environmental change mean?
human-caused changes to the environment
Slow and steady population growth that tends to occur in stable ecosystems.
logistic growth
A very large ecosystem or series of connected ecosystems that have a similar climate and similar dominant plant and animal life. For example: deserts, tundra and tropical rainforests.
biome
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
This is the name given to a species whose niche and behavior is especially important to the overall health and stability of their ecosystem.
keystone species
This major historical period occurred about 250 years ago. Humans started to use machines and fossil fuel power to greatly increase their productivity. The use of natural resources and creation of waste greatly increased as a result.
The Industrial Revolution
The burning of fossil fuels contributes directly to this major category of anthropogenic change to the environment.
climate change/global warming
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
How an organism survives, including its habitat, how it obtains food and shelter, and how it avoids danger.
ecological niche
1. Identify a nonrenewable resource.
2. Identify a renewable resource.
1. coal, oil, natural gas, uranium
2. solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric power
Invasive species often experience this type of population growth since they have significant advantages over the native species in their new ecosystem.
exponential population growth
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
What commonly consumed product causes the most environmental problems?
This ecosystem service provides us with many of the resources we need to survive. Food, oxygen and wood are all examples of this type of ecosystem service.
All of the water on Earth
hydrosphere
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
The name given to ecosystems recovering from a disturbance that still have soil present
This term refers to all of the resources a person, corporation or country uses, as well as all of the waste that they generate. It is measured in the amount of land required to produce their resources and contain their waste.
ecological footprint
All life on Earth
the biosphere
Why are there usually 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
This interaction occurs when different species divide up resources within their ecosystem rather than competing with each other.
niche partitioning
A type of interaction in which one species affects multiple trophic levels within its ecosystem. For example, the presence of wolves in Yellowstone National Park affects every trophic level within the park.
trophic cascade
Which major category of anthropogenic environmental change has lead some scientists to claim that a sixth mass extinction is currently going on?
habitat destruction
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.