Final Exam Flashcards

Biotic factors

Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Abiotic factors

Non-living components of an ecosystem, including temperature, sunlight, and minerals.

Levels of organization

Hierarchical structure in ecology: organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere.

Trophic levels

Positions in a food chain or food web that determine the flow of energy, including producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers.

Producers

Organisms that produce their own food, typically through photosynthesis (e.g., plants).

Primary consumers

Organisms that eat producers; typically herbivores.

Secondary consumers

Organisms that eat primary consumers; can be carnivores or omnivores.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead material and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Food web

A network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.

Food chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Energy pyramid

A graphical representation of the energy flow in an ecosystem, illustrating energy loss at each trophic level.

Symbiotic relationship

Interaction between two different organisms, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain.

Limiting factors

Environmental conditions that restrict the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or population.

Climate

Long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation in a given area.

Natural selection

The process through which species adapt to their environment by favoring traits that enhance survival and reproduction.

Darwin's finches

A group of bird species studied by Charles Darwin that contributed to his theory of evolution by natural selection.

Adaptations

Inherited traits that enhance an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Evidence of evolution

Information that supports the theory of evolution, including fossils, homologous structures, and genetic similarities.

Relative dating

A method used to determine the age of fossils based on their position in sedimentary rock layers.

Absolute dating

A method used to determine the exact age of a fossil using techniques such as radiometric dating.

Homologous structures

Anatomical features in different species that are similar due to shared ancestry.

Vestigial structures

Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution.

Dichotomous key

A tool used to identify organisms based on a series of choices between paired statements.

Binomial nomenclature

A formal system of naming species using two terms, the genus name followed by the species name.

Three domains of life

Categories of living organisms: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.

Six kingdoms of life

Divisions of life within the domains: Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia.

Homozygous

An organism with two identical alleles for a trait.

Heterozygous

An organism with two different alleles for a trait.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism.

Phenotype

The physical expression or characteristics of that genotype.

Punnett square

A tool used to predict the probability of inheriting certain traits based on parental genotypes.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can result in new traits.

Codominance

A genetic situation in which both alleles for a gene are expressed equally in the phenotype.

Pedigree

A diagram that shows the occurrence of a genetic trait in several generations of a family.

Artificial selection

The intentional breeding of organisms with desirable traits.

Levels of biological organization

The arrangement of living things into levels, from cells to tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms.

Cardiovascular system

The system that circulates blood and lymph through the body.

Excretory system

The system responsible for removing waste from the body.

Digestive system

The system that breaks down food into nutrients for the body.

Respiratory system

The system that facilitates breathing and gas exchange.

Muscular system

The system of muscles that enables movement.

Nervous system

The system that processes sensory information and controls responses.

Immune system

The system that protects the body from disease.