Interactions within an Ecosystem
What is the study of the relationship between living and non-living things and their environment?
Ecology
What are abiotic and biotic factor in the environment?
Abiotic: non-living things in the environment.
Biotic: living things in the environment.
What is a Food Web?
Food Web: A network of interconnected food chains.
What is the Water Cycle?
Water Cycle: The continuous movement of water through an ecosystem.
What is DDT?
DDT: A pesticide (a chemical used to get rid of bugs). It was used to control insect populations, however began to kill organisms living in the same environment.
What is an Ecologist?
An Ecologist is someone who studies interactions between the abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem
What is the area called where an organism lives and interacts with other biotic and abiotic factors?
Habitat. A habitat is the area where both biotic and abiotic factors live and interact.
What is a Pyramid of Numbers?
Pyramid of Numbers: a model of an ecosystem that shows how many organisms are consumed at each level.
What is the difference between Pollution and Pollutants?
Pollution is the different types of harmful materials that are released into the environment through human activities, whereas Pollutants are the substances that cause pollution
What is an Ecological Footprint?
Ecological Footprint: A calculation of the total area of land and water needed to supply all the materials and energy a human uses, as well as absorb the waste produced.
What is Symbiosis?
Symbiosis: When two organisms of different species living in close proximity to each other in a relationship that lasts over time.
What is the difference between Producers and Consumers?
Producer: Plants use energy from the Sun to make nutrients they need to survive.
Consumer: Organisms that eat the food made by producers.
What is a Quadrat?
Quadrat: A marked off area that is used to study both the biotic and abiotic components. The most common shapes are circular and square..
What is Bioaccumulation?
Bioaccumulation: Movement of pollutants through levels of a food chain so they are retained with movement up the food chain.
What is always on the bottom of a foods chain?
producer
What are the 3 types of Symbiotic relationships?
Mutualism, Parasitism, and Commensalism.
What are the 3 types of consumers? What do they consume?
Carnivores: An animal that eats other animals or meat.
Herbivore: An animal that eats only plant material.
Omnivore: An animal that eats other animals, and plant material.
What is the difference between Decomposers and Scavengers?
Scavengers are organisms that feed on dead or decaying animal matter, and Decomposers are organisms that do not actually eat dead material, but grow on/in the dead material and break it down into soil.
Can pollutants be substances which occur naturally?
Yes, if the substance are found in concentrations too high for the environment to absorb, it will have a negative affect on the environment.
What is an adaption?
When an organism changes to ensure it is best suited to survive.
What do Mutualism, Parasitism, and Commensalism mean?
Mutualism: A relationship between two organisms in which each benefits.
Parasitism: One organism benefits and one is harmed.
Commensalism: When one partner benefits and the other doesn’t benefit or be harmed.
What is a food chain?
Food Chain: A model that shows how energy is stored in food passes from one organism to another.
What uses Carbon Dioxide to make energy?
Through photosynthesis: plants use Carbon Dioxide and water in order to produce their own food, and give off oxygen.
Give 4 key points of a sanitary landfill.
Sanitary Landfills:
Layers are spread out to allow moisture to evaporate
The hole has a clay liner to help avoid leaching into the ground water
Waste is covered to minimize odours and litter
Some waste is transported to either the compost or incinerator
Waste is bulldozed down to 5cm thickness
What is Mimicry
Mimicry= when an organism copies an another's adaptations