Ecology Study Guide 2024 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Ecology Study Guide 2024, including graphing variables, trophic levels, food webs, population dynamics, and carbon cycles.

Independent Variable

The variable on a graph that is manipulated or changed by the experimenter.

Dependent Variable

The variable on a graph that is measured and responds to changes in the independent variable.

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.

Biotic Factors

Living or once-living factors in an ecosystem.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living physical and chemical elements in an ecosystem.

Producer

An autotrophic organism that makes its own food, typically through photosynthesis.

1st Consumer

A primary consumer or herbivore that eats producers to obtain energy.

2nd Consumer

A secondary consumer that feeds on primary (1st) consumers.

3rd Consumer

A tertiary consumer that feeds on secondary (2nd) consumers.

Decomposer / Detritivore

An organism that breaks down dead or decaying organic matter and recycles nutrients back into the environment.

Scavenger

An animal that consumes dead animals or decaying organic material.

Autotroph

An organism capable of producing its own food from inorganic substances.

Heterotroph

An organism that must consume other organisms for nutrients and energy.

Herbivore

An animal that feeds exclusively on plants or producers.

Carnivore

An animal that feeds exclusively on other animals.

Omnivore

An animal that feeds on both plants and animals.

Food Web Arrows

Symbols in a food web or food chain that represent the direction of energy flow from one organism to another.

10% Rule

The rule stating that approximately $10\%$ of energy is passed on to the next trophic level, while $90\%$ of energy is lost in an energy pyramid.

Limiting Factor

An environmental condition or resource that restricts population growth.

Density Dependent Factors

Factors whose impact on population growth depends on the density of the population.

Density Independent Factors

Factors that affect population growth regardless of the population density.

Exponential Growth

Unrestricted population growth under ideal conditions, forming a J-shaped curve.

Logistic Growth

Population growth that slows down as resources become limited, forming an S-shaped curve.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain; shown on a logistic growth graph.

Carbon Cycle

The biogeochemical cycle in which carbon moves through the four spheres (biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere) via processes like photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and burning fossil fuels.