Ecology Review study guide

Niche

The unique role and position a species has in a community.

Habitat

The place where an organism lives throughout it’s life.

Differentiate population, community, and ecosystem

A population refers to a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area, a community is all the different populations interacting in a given area, and an ecosystem includes both the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components.

Ecological levels in order from smallest to largest

individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere.

Biotic factors

Animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, archea

Abiotic factors

Dirt, sunlight, oxygen, sand, and water

Predation

the interaction in which one organism hunts and feeds on another. EX: lynx and hare

Competition

the interaction between organisms or species in which both are harmed as they compete for limited resources, such as food, water, or territory. EX: lions and hyenas

Symbosis paratism

is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another. An example is a tick feeding on a host. EX: fleas and humans

Symbiosis mutualism

is a type of symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit from the interaction. EX: oxpeaker and Rhino

Symbosis Commensalism

is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed. EX: barnacles on whales

Differentiate between a food web and a food chain

A food web is a complex network of connected food chains, showing the various pathways of energy flow and feeding relationships in an ecosystem, while a food chain is a sequence showing how energy is transferred from one organism to another.

The arrows of a food chain or web represent

The flow of energy

Whats the 10% rule? What happens to energy at each trophic level?

The 10% rule states that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level. The remaining energy is lost.

How is the energy loss from one trophic level to the next reflected in the pyramid of numbers?

As energy decreases with each trophic level, fewer organisms can be supported at higher levels, resulting in a pyramid shape where the number of individuals decreases from producers at the base to apex predators at the top.

Where does all energy come from?

sunlight

What is photosynthesis? what is the chemical equation for photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy. The chemical equation for photosynthesis is:

CO2 + H2O +t{light energy} C6H{12}O6 + O2.

What is the organelle where photosynthesis takes place?

Chloroplasts

What is the green pigment in chloroplasts that absorbs sunlight energy for photosynthesis?

Chlorophyll