ecology regents review

ecology

scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their enviornment

ecosystem

collection of all the organisms that live in a praticular place, together with their non-living enviornment

niche

the unique role a population plays in a community

population

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

community

all the different populations that live together in the same area

biome

group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities

biosphere

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

symbiosis

relationship in which 2 species live closely together

mutualism

symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationshipm (+,+)

commensalism

symbiotic relationship in which one member benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed(+,0)

parasitism

symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism(the host) and consequently harms it(+,-)

biotic factors

living factors that influence organisms within an ecosystem

abiotic factors

non-living factors that influence organisms within an ecosystem

carrying capacity

the maximum number of organisms a given enviornment can sustain

carnivore

eats meat to obtain energy

herbivore

organism that eats only plants

omnivore

organism that eats both plants and animals

decomposer

organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

producer

organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds; also called an autotroph

consumer

organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called an heterotroph

predator

an animal that naturally preys on others

food web

a series of intereconnected food chains showing the transfer of energy and feeding relationships

trophic level

step in a food chain or food web

ecological pyramid

diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web

rule of 10

only 10% of total energy is passed on from trophic level to trophic level

ecological succession

the replacement of one community in a habitat by another that follows a disturbance

primary succession

succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists

secondary succession

succesion that follows a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

pioneer organisms

first organism to populate an area during primary successeion Ex: lichens and mosses

climax community

a community of plants and animals which, through the process of succession, has reached a steady state

tropical rain forest

heavy rainfall; constant warmth

** greatest biodiversity**

savannah

very dry, followed by short periods of rain

-elephants, zebra, giraffe

desert

very hot in day and cold at night; low amounts of rain

-cactus, lizard

deciduous forest

moderate precipitation; cold winters, warm summers

-fox, coyote, squirrels, rabbits, deer, oak tree, maple tree

taiga

long, severe winters; summers with thawing of subsoil "spruce/moose"

- moose, deer, spruce, firs, pines

tundra

cold and dry; perma-frost layer of soil that remains permanently frozen

-caribou, snowy owl, migratory birds, lichens, mosses

chaparral

dry regions "scrubland"

-spiny shrubs, lizards, rodents, coyotes, birds

dentrifying bacteria

converts nitrates and nitrites back into nitrogen gas and return the nitrogen to the atmosphere