Ecosystems, Food Webs, Cycles of Matter, and Carrying Capacity

Flashcards covering key ecological concepts discussed in class, including relationships, energy flow, cycles of matter, and carrying capacity.

What are the 3 primary ecological relationships in an ecosystem?

Commensalism, Mutualism, and Parasitism

Define Commensalism.

One organism benefits while the other is not affected.

Define Mutualism.

Both organisms benefit from the relationship.

Define Parasitism.

One organism benefits while the other is harmed.

What do the arrows represent in a food web?

The flow of energy from the eaten to the eater.

How is a food web different from a food chain?

A food web is a network of interconnected food chains.

What are trophic levels?

The position a species occupies in a food web based on what they consume (e.g., producers, primary consumers).

What is a trophic cascade?

The impact of a predator on its prey that affects one or more feeding levels.

List examples of trophic levels

Producer, Primary Consumer, Secondary Consumer, Tertiary Consumer, and Decomposer

Name key vocabulary related to ecology.

Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism, Predator & Prey, Trophic Levels, Trophic Cascade.

Give an example of autotrophs.

Plants, Algae, & Phytoplankton

At which trophic level are herbivores?

Second

What happens to energy as it flows through an ecosystem?

Energy is lost as heat at each trophic level.

What determines an ecosystem's energy budget?

The amount of energy plants take in.

What percentage of energy is transferred between trophic levels on average?

10%

Name some of the most productive ecosystems.

Estuaries, Swamps/Marshes, and Tropical Rainforests

What are biogeochemical cycles?

Cycles through which essential materials are continuously recycled through biotic and abiotic elements in an ecosystem, such as the carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus cycles.

Give some carbon source examples.

Fossil Fuels, Volcanic Eruptions, Animal Respiration, & Decomposition of Dead Material

Give some carbon sink examples.

Forests, Oceans, Soil, & Phytoplankton

What is carrying capacity?

Largest population size of a species that an environment can hold.

What are some density-dependent limiting factors?

Competition for resources, predation, and the spread of disease.

What are some density-independent limiting factors?

Catastrophes, floods, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.