Evolution
What is evolution?
A change in a population over time.
The specific role an organism plays in its ecosystem.
What is an ecological niche?
What is the main source of energy for most ecosystems on Earth?
Sun
An organism’s position in a food chain or food web.
What is a trophic level?
What type of succession occurs when soil is still present after a disturbance?
secondary succession
The process of forming a new species as a result of evolution is called
speciation
What scientist developed the theory of natural selection?
Charles Darwin.
What is the difference between a generalist and a specialist species?
Generalists have wide tolerances; specialists have narrow niches.
What is the difference between a producer and a consumer?
Producers make their own food; consumers eat other organisms.
What rule states that only about 10% of energy moves to the next trophic level?
The 10% Rule.
The first species to colonize an area after a disturbance.
pioneer species
Which type of organism is sometimes capable of chemosynthesis?
producers
A heritable trait that increases an organism’s survival and reproduction.
What is an adaptation?
What principle states that two species cannot occupy the same niche at the same time?
Competitive exclusion principle.
What term, other that producer, describes organisms that make their own food?
Autotrophs.
Which trophic level usually contains the most organisms and energy?
Producers.
WHat is an example of a disturbance that will result in primary succession?
volcanic eruption, glacier receeding
Give an example of a detritivore.
earthworm or sea cucmber
What is artificial selection? Give an example.
Humans selecting traits for breeding, such as breeding dogs for certain traits.
A relationship where one organism hunts and kills another.
What is predation?
What two processes allow producers to obtain energy?
Photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
In the food chain Algae → Krill → Salmon → Bald Eagle, what trophic level is the salmon?
Secondary consumer.
Why does primary succession take much longer than secondary succession?
Because soil must form before many organisms can live there
Which organism is the most likely pioneer species in secondary succession?
grass
What happens to a species if it cannot adapt quickly enough to environmental change?
It may go extinct
How does resource partitioning allow species to coexist?
Species use resources in different ways or times, reducing competition.
WHich type of consumer is ALWAYS a herbivore?
Primary consumer
The total mass of living organisms at a trophic level
What is Biomass?
Put these organisms in order of a primary succession:
moss, grasses, trees, shrubs, lichen
lichen, moss, grasses, shrubs, trees
A barnacle attaching to a whale, gaining transportation and access to food while the whale is unaffected is an example of what type of symbiosis?
commensalism