Ecosystems
Organisms that produce their own food and form the base of most food webs
What are producers?
The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce
What is natural selection?
The process by which humans choose traits in organisms
What is artificial selection?
Reproduction involving only one parent
What is asexual reproduction?
A hurricane destroys part of a coastal ecosystem. What type of change is this?
What is a natural change?
The interaction of living and nonliving components in an area
What is an ecosystem?
Differences in traits among individuals in a population
What is genetic variation?
Another term for artificial selection (think when we choose what dog will breed)
What is selective breeding?
Reproduction involving two parents and mixing of genetic material
what is sexual reproduction?
Cutting down forests to build houses is an example of what type of ecosystem change?
What is a human-caused change (deforestation)?
A network of interconnected food chains showing energy flow
What is a food web?
Traits that increase an organism’s chances of survival
What are adaptations?
Choosing only certain traits in breeding can reduce this in a population
What is genetic variation?
Offspring that are genetically identical to the parent
What are clones?
A chemical spill kills fish in a river. What will most likely happen to animals that depend on those fish?
What is their populations will decrease?
The specific role or job an organism has in its environment
What is a niche?
Individuals with helpful variations are more likely to do this
What is survive and reproduce?
Organisms that have been bred and raised by humans for specific purposes
What are domesticated organisms?
This type of reproduction increases genetic variation
What is sexual reproduction?
A population has high genetic variation. A sudden environmental change occurs. Why are some individuals more likely to survive?
What is some have traits that help them survive?
A disease wipes out most plant life in an ecosystem. Predict what will happen to herbivores and then predators.
what is herbivores decrease, then predators decrease?
A population has very little genetic variation and the environment suddenly changes. Predict the outcome and explain why.
What is the population may die out because few individuals have helpful traits?
A crop population is bred to be genetically similar. A new disease appears. Predict what will happen and why.
What is most crops may die due to low genetic variation?
Compare how asexual and sexual reproduction affect a population’s ability to survive environmental change.
What is sexual reproduction increases survival due to variation, while asexual reproduction may struggle due to lack of variation?
A non-native species is introduced into an ecosystem and begins to reproduce rapidly. It competes with native species for food and has no natural predators. Explain how this will affect biodiversity and the stability of the ecosystem over time.
what is biodiversity will decrease and the ecosystem will become less stable?