Levels of Organization in Ecosystems
Dependence on and Competition for Resources
Relationships Between Organisms
Ecosystem Vocabulary
Ecosystem Examples
100

What is the smallest unit of ecological organization, consisting of one individual organism?

What is an individual organism?

100

What do you call the relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed?

What is parasitism?

100

What relationship involves both organisms benefiting from the interaction?

What is mutualism?

100

What term describes the role of a species in an ecosystem, including how it gets energy and interacts with other organisms?

What is a niche?

100

In which type of ecosystem would you expect to find cacti, camels, and sand dunes?

What is a desert?

200

What term refers to a group of the same species living in the same area?

What is a population?

200

What is the process called when organisms compete for the same resources in an ecosystem?

What is competition?

200

What is the term for the relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed?

What is commensalism?

200

What is the process by which plants make their own food using sunlight?

What is photosynthesis?

200

Which ecosystem is home to many tall trees, squirrels, and birds, and is found in areas with four seasons?

What is a temperate forest?

300

Which level of ecological organization includes all the populations in a specific area interacting with each other and their environment?

What is a community?

300

What type of organisms rely on producers for energy in a food chain?

What are consumers?

300

In which relationship does one organism eat another?

What is predation?

300

What term refers to the nonliving parts of an ecosystem, like water, sunlight, and air?

What are abiotic factors?

300

What kind of ecosystem is characterized by a large amount of rainfall, lush vegetation, and a diverse range of animal species like monkeys and parrots?

What is a tropical rainforest?

400

What is the term for all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) factors in an area, including soil, water, and air?

What is an ecosystem?

400

What is the term for the role or job an organism has in its environment?

What is a niche?

400

What type of relationship is formed between organisms that live together in close physical proximity, often for a long period of time?

What is symbiosis?

400

What is the name of the group of organisms that break down dead material in an ecosystem?

What are decomposers?

400

What kind of ecosystem is found in the polar regions and is home to animals like polar bears and penguins?

What is a tundra?

500

What level of organization includes all ecosystems on Earth, where all life exists?

What is the biosphere?

500

How do limiting factors such as food and shelter affect populations in an ecosystem?

What is by restricting the size or growth of populations?

500

What type of organism might be a primary consumer in a food web?

What is an herbivore?

500

What is the process by which energy moves through an ecosystem in food chains and webs?

What is energy flow?

500

What is the term for an ecosystem that includes both saltwater and freshwater, where fish, plants, and birds interact with both?

What is an estuary?