Trophic Systems
How much of an ecosystem's energy is represented by its plants and photosynthetic life forms?
100%
A pair of male buffalo butting heads for the opportunity to mate is considered which form of competition?
Intra-Species
Life forms that can mate and reproduce viable offspring.
Species
The deliberate hunting, stalking, and killing of another animal for sustenance (food).
Predation
What food additive is in 50% of all processed foods in the United State?
Palm Oil
Insects and animals that only consume plants fall into which trophic level?
Primary Consumers
What are 3 limiting factors that all living species compete over?
Food, Water, and Habitat
The maximum population size an ecosystem can support.
Carrying Capacity
What effect do predators have on other populations?
Decrease the size
Why is palm oil so common? (2 reasons)
Uses less land and is healthier than the alternatives.
Which trophic level exerts a very strong top down controlling pressure on the other animals in the ecosystem?
Apex Predators
Oxpeckers land on Zebra to eat the parasites, mites, and ticks that can infect the zebra's skin. This is an example of what relationship?
Mutualism
The most scarce resource in any environment (prevents populations from growing any larger).
Limiting Factor
Removing the predators from an ecosystem usually causes this to happen to prey species population numbers.
Vastly increase
What type of sustainable farming technique involves the mixing of different crops which mutually support each other?
Diversified Farming
How much energy is available to life forms that exist at the mesopredator trophic level?
0.1%
A lioness fighting off hyenas trying to steal her kill is an example of which relationship?
Inter-Species Competition
The number of different species established within the same ecosystem.
Biodiversity
What do we call the effect of an disruption on an entire ecosystem?
Trophic Cascade
Why are the orangutans considered the keystone species in their rainforests?
They spread fruit seeds as they move through the trees.
If a life form consumes both plants an animals while also having a predator, it falls in this trophic level.
Secondary Consumer
A human on safari is bitten by a mosquito carrying malaria. What relationship is this an example of?
Parasitism
What is the difference between a population and a community?
Population = Single species within the ecosystem
Community = Multiple (all) species within the ecosystem