Ecological Interactions
This type of relationship between two species benefits both organisms
What is mutualism?
This biome has the lowest primary productivity on Earth
What is the tundra?
When a population grows exponentially without constraints
What is unchecked population growth?
Changes in genetic frequency due to random chance
What is genetic drift?
The first organisms in a food chain that convert sunlight to energy
What are producers?
A predator-prey relationship where one species population directly impacts anothe
What is predation?
A desert characterized by extreme temperature variations between day and nigh
What is a cold desert?
The maximum number of individuals an environment can sustainably support
What is carrying capacity?
When organisms develop similar traits in response to similar environmental challenges
What is convergent evolution?
The percentage of energy transferred between trophic levels
What is 10% (energy pyramid rule)?
When two different species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem
What is competition?
The climate zone where most of the world's rainforests are located
What is the tropical zone?
A sudden dramatic reduction in population genetic diversity
What is a population bottleneck?
The process where species adapt and change over time due to environmental pressures
What is natural selection?
Organisms that break down dead organic matter
What are decomposers?
A relationship where one organism benefits while the other is harmed
What is parasitism?
A grassland ecosystem found near the equator with scattered trees
What is a savanna?
When a small group of organisms establishes a new population
What is the founder effect?
When two species evolve in response to each other's adaptations
What is coevolution?
The total energy available at each level of a food chain
What is biomass?
The complex web of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem
What is a food web?
The process of air masses moving between different latitudes that create global weather patterns
What are global circulation patterns?
Mathematical model showing population growth that slows as resources become limited
What is logistic growth?
Genetic changes that occur when a population is isolated from others
What is speciation
The process of energy transfer from one organism to another through consumption
What is trophic energy transfer?