Ecosystems, Terrestrial Biomes, and Aquatic Biomes Quiz

Individual

single organism (biotic)

Population

a group of individuals of the same species in a defined area (biotic)

Community

all populations in an area (biotic)

Ecosystem

all biotic and abiotic things in an area

Biome

large areas with similar climates (temp and precip); plants and animals in each biome have specific adaptations

Competition

struggle to get limited resources => limits population size

negative for all species involved; leaves less resources

Predation

food for one of the species involved

Parasitism

Symbiosis; parasite steal energy from the other species

ex. ticks, tapeworms

Heribvory

positive for the herbivore; negative for the plant; fruit-eating herbivores would be an exception => as they eat fruit, the seeds are dispersed which allows for the plant to grow in more locations

Mutualism

Symbiosis; both species are benefitting

ex. coral reef gives habitat/ CO2 to algae and gets sugars

Commensalism

Symbiosis; positive for one species; no impact for the other (i.e. bird living in a tree)

Symbiosis

long term relationship between two species

sym = together

bio = living

osis = condition

ex. mutualism, parasitism, commensalism

Competitive Exclusion Principle

2 species competing for some limited resource can’t coexist

Resource Partitioning

different species use different shared resources in different ways to reduce competition

this is due to evolution

Temporal Partitioning

different times (diurnal vs. nocturnal)

Spatial Partitioning

different areas of a shared habitat

ex. birds nesting in different parts of a tree

Morphological partitioning

evolved body structures

ex. Galapagos island finches (body structures change through natural selection)

Ecological Niche

what an organism is in an environment

*having overlapping niches => weaker competitor will not get their desired resource

Fundamental Niche

what a species is capable of

Realized niche

what a species actually does in their fundamental niche (capability)

“smaller” than the fundamental niche due to competition with other species

abdale teaching apes instead of physics example

Parasitoids

Parasitoids lay their eggs inside or on host => larvae develops and kills the host

Climographs

• Precipitation line above temperature line = plant growth limited by temperature/ vice-versa

• line is temperature; bars are precipitation

Tropical Rainforest

frequent precipitation, most biodiversity, epiphytes, waxy surfaces to prevent water loss; near equator

Shrubland

low-moderate precipitation; leaves can retain water; short trees/ shrubs grow here + grass (croatia)

Tundra

low precipitation, low temperature, permafrost is the most important characteristic *(frozen soil => very slow decomposition [low soil nutrients, low water availibility, few plants can survive here])

plants adapted with fuzzy coating/ growing close together

Subtropical desert

low precipitation, high temperature, very dry, plants/ animals need to retain as much water as possible,

Taiga/ Boreal Forest

short hot summers/ cold, long winters; cone-shaped trees to prevent breaking from the snow; animals have thick fur to keep warm during the summer