Ecology Test

Ventral

abdominal part of the body, equivalent to the front (anterior) of humans

Dorsal

back/posterior of humans

Anterior

front part of the body

Posterior

black part of the body

Keystone Species

a species that largely affects an ecosystem, and without them, the ecosystem would be drastically different

Apex Predator

a type of predator that is on the top of a food chain (it's not a prey)

Invasive Species

an additional species to an environment that can cause harm

Biosphere

the region of the atmosphere that is occupied by life (all living things on Earth)

Biome

complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region

Ecosystem

an area where living and nonliving things interact

Community

all living things in an area

Population

all members of a species in an area

Predator

an organism that kills other species for food

Prey

the organism that's killed as food and eaten by the predator

Parasite

an organism that lives on/in another species

Host

the species that a parasite lives on/in

Decomposer

organisms that break down dead organisms

Scavenger

organisms that eat dead organisms left over by predators

Tropical Rainforest Biome Location

Central America, South America, Southeast Asia, Middle of Africa; basically around the equator

Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Location

North America (where we live), most of Europe, + Northeast Asia; in between biomes

Desert Biome Location

along the equator; Northern Africa, + Middle East

Tundra Biome Location

northern part of the world; Alaska, Canada, + Russia

Taiga Biome Location

below the tundra; Europe, Asia, + North America

Temperate Grassland Biome Location

North America, South America, Europe, + Asia

Savanna Biome Location

Mainly Africa, South America, India, + Australia

Freshwater Lakes Biome Location

all over the world; North America (the Great Lakes), Europe, + Africa

Marine - Coral Reefs Biome Location

shallow, warm waters of the tropics; near shores, beaches, and sea cliffs; Pacific Ocean + Indian Ocean

Marine - Open Ocean Biome Location

deep ocean, away from shore

Tropical Rainforest

* many animals + trees
* most biodiverse biome
* warm + rainy all year long
* covers 6% of Earth

Temperate Deciduous Forest

* in between biomes
* mild climate - 4 seasons
* a forest with trees that lose their leaves


* around 30-60 inches of precipitation (low and distributed)

Desert

* dry climate - little rainfall
* extreme temperature changes
* sparse vegetation

Tundra

* cold climate - long harsh winters + short cool summers
* permafrost
* covers 20% of Earth
* very little vegetation - treeless

Taiga

* coniferous forests (trees that have needle-like leaves)


* long, snowy winters + short, mild summers
* variety of wildlife
* largest land biome

Temperate Grassland

* moderate climate - hot summers, cold winters
* transitional biome
* wide expanse of grasses + few trees

Savanna

* warm climate - wet + dry season
* scattered trees
* wildfires are common

Freshwater Lakes

* oligotrophic/eutrophic
* water temperature, pH levels, and sunlight depend on location + season
* still water (not salty)

Marine - Coral Reefs

* sunlight differs
* coral reefs location here
* warm, shallow, + clear waters
* holds more marine diversity than open ocean

Marine - Open Ocean

* covers 45% of Earth
* salt density differs
* sparsely populated
* different zones of temperatures and sunlight

Oligotrophic

low-nutrient rich, clear lakes

Eutrophic

high-nutrient-rich, murky lakes

Trees in the Tropical Rainforest

* tall (up to 200 ft tall)
* shallow roots
* diverse

Trees in the Temperate Deciduous Forest

* deep roots
* trees' leaves change color and fall off in autumn
* moderate height (50-100 ft tall)

Trees in the Tundra

none

Trees in the Taiga

* conical (cone-like) shape + evergreen needles
* coniferous trees (trees with needles)
* shallow roots

Trees in the Temperate Grassland

* deep roots
* very few trees
* trees are spaces apart

Trees in the Savanna

* scattered trees
* deep roots
* more trees than the grassland

Seasons in the Savanna

* 2 season = wet season + dry season
* wet season in summer months
* dry season in winter months

Seasons in the Temperate Deciduous Forest

* 4 seasons: winter, summer, spring, + fall
* warm summers
* cold winters

Seasons in the Arctic Tundra

* 2 season - long cold winter + short, cool summer
* winter month = very little sunlight and very cold

Permafrost Impact in Tundra

Permafrost is a layer of soil that is frozen throughout the year. Permafrost is the reason why there are no trees in the biome as plants can't grow and obtain nutrients from the soil.

Photic Zones

upper layer of water that receives sunlight

Aphotic Zones

lower layer of water that doesn't receive sunlight

Greenhouse Effect + Carbon Cycle

The greenhouse effect "is the natural warming of the earth that results when gasses in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun that would otherwise escape into space." The Carbon Cycle is the movement of carbon through the ecosystems.

Competition

struggle for resources

Mutualism

when both species benefit from an interaction

Commensalism

when one species benefits, but the other one is unaffected

Predation

when one species kills another and eats it for food

Parasitism

when one species benefits while the other is harmed

Trophic Cascades

effect of changing in one trophic level on other trophic levels

Exponential Growth

rapid population growth (only when there are unlimited resources)

Logistic Growth

population growth slows down as it reaches carrying capacity (when there are limited resources)

Carrying capacity

the maximum population size an ecosystem can sustain

Limiting Factors

factors that limit population growth

Density Dependent Limiting Factor

limiting factors affect by population size

Density Independent Limiting Factor

limiting factors not affected by population size

Limiting Factors of Population Growth

* food + water
* living space
* weather + random events

Ecological Niche

the role of a species in an ecosystem

Generalist

species that can survive in many environments

Specialist

species that can only survive in specific environments

Resource Partitioning

species divide resources to avoid excessive competition

Levels of Classification

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species (Did King Philip Come Over From Germany Saturday)

Binomial Nomenclature

the two-part naming system for species (the first word is the Genus and the second is the species; Genus species)

Which levels are more inclusive?

The higher the level, the more inclusive it is (like Family is more inclusive than Genus)

3 Main Domains

Eubacteria, Archaea, Eukarya

Eubacteria

* common bacteria
* prokaryotic
* unicellular

Archaea

* live in extreme environments
* prokaryotic
* unicellular

Eukarya

* eukaryotic
* unicellular or multicellular
* all protists, fungi, plants, and animals

5 Main Kingdoms (5 or 6 depends)

* Monera (Bacteria and Archaea)
* Protist (Protista)
* Plant (Plantae)
* Fungi (Fungus)
* Animal (Animalia)

Monera

same criteria as Domain

Protist

* typically unicellular
* autotroph + heterotroph
* eukaryotic

Plant

* multicellular
* autotrophs
* eukaryotic
* cell wall (made of cellulose)

Fungi

* mostly multicellular
* heterotrophs (decomposers eat on the dead matter)
* cell wall (made of chitin)
* eukaryotic

Animal

* multicellular
* heterotroph
* no cell wall
* eukaryotic

- winter month \= very little sunlight and very cold