Levels of Ecological Organization
What is the correct order from smallest to largest: population, community, ecosystem, organism, biosphere?
Organism → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biosphere
What is the main source of energy for most ecosystems?
The Sun
When one organism eats another, what type of interaction is this?
Predation
What is ecological succession?
The gradual change in species in an area over time
Which two abiotic factors are most important in determining a biome?
Temperature and precipitation
What level includes all organisms of one species living in an area?
Population
What do arrows in a food chain represent?
The direction of energy flow
What type of symbiosis benefits both species?
Mutualism
What is the first type of succession that starts on bare rock?
Primary succession
Which biome has the highest precipitation and warm temperatures year-round?
Tropical rainforest
What level includes both living and nonliving components?
Ecosystem
About what percent of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next?
10%
A barnacle on a whale benefits but doesn’t harm the whale. What is this?
Commensalism
What is the first type of organism to grow in primary succession?
Pioneer species (like lichens or mosses)
Which biome has very little rainfall and extreme temperatures?
Desert
A forest made up of many populations of trees, insects, and animals is an example of which level?
Community
Which type of organism makes its own food using sunlight or chemicals?
Producer or Autotroph
When one organism benefits and the other is harmed, what is it called?
Parasitism
What type of succession occurs after a forest fire?
Secondary succession
What is the difference between freshwater and marine biomes?
Salt levels and species that live there
Which level of organization includes all ecosystems on Earth?
Biosphere
What is a trophic pyramid and what does it show?
A diagram showing how energy decreases at each trophic level
Define Symbiosis
Ecological relationship between organisms of different species
What do we call the final, stable community that forms after succession?
Climax community
Which aquatic biome contains both salt and fresh water?
Estuary