TCI Ecosystems Unit 3 Study Guide A

What is the variety of organisms on Earth or in a particular habitat or ecosystem? (Vocabulary Lesson 8)

Biodiversity

What is the relationship between a part and a whole? (Vocabulary Lesson 8)

Proportion

What is the ecological role that a species plays in an ecosystem? (Vocabulary Lesson 8)

Niche

What happens when all of the members of a population die and the species no longer exists in that place? (Vocabulary Lesson 8)

Extirpation

What is a species that affects the diversity of an entire ecosystem? (Vocabulary Lesson 8)

Keystone species

What happens when all of the members of a species dies and the species no longer exists? (Vocabulary Lesson 8)

Extinction

What is a natural process humans rely on that healthy ecosystems provide such as cleaning water and conserving soil? (Vocabulary Lesson 9)

Ecosystem service

What is a material or source of energy found in nature that benefits humans? (Vocabulary Lesson 9)

Natural resource

What is a characteristic of organisms that makes it unlikely for them to be infected or die from disease? (Vocabulary Lesson 9)

Disease resistance

What is an organism that eats other organisms that are already dead? (Vocabulary Lesson 9)

Scavenger

What is a measure of something per person? (Vocabulary Lesson 10)

Per capita

What occurs when harvesting species from the wild faster than those populations can recover resulting in population decline? (Vocabulary Lesson 10)

Over exploitation

What is a disease that has recently appeared in human populations often as a result of new interactions with a species in ecosystems? (Vocabulary Lesson 10)

Emerging disease

What is changing or destroying natural ecosystems in ways that disrupt their healthy functioning? (Vocabulary Lesson 10)

Habitat degradation

What is a species that has been introduced to a place where it is not naturally found and causes ecological or economic harm? (Vocabulary Lesson 10)

Invasive species

What is a long term change in climate patterns on Earth including changes in average global temperatures and the frequency of severe weather? (Vocabulary Lesson 10)

Climate change

Which of these is true of every ecosystem on Earth? (Lesson 8 Reading Comprehension Question)

Every ecosystem has a set of species that are found there naturally.

How do scientists seek to understand biodiversity? (Lesson 8 Reading Comprehension Question)

Scientists collect different organisms from an ecosystem, scientists research what species lived in an ecosystem a long time ago, and scientists classify different species by organizing them into categories (All of the above.)

How is extirpation different than extinction? (Lesson 8 Reading Comprehension Question)

Extirpation applies to a particular place, while extinction applies to the entire planet.

Why is a keystone species so important to the biodiversity of an ecosystem? (Lesson 8 Reading Comprehension Question)

Keystone species affect the entire ecosystem.

Why is biodiversity important to humans? (Lesson 8 Reading Comprehension Question)

Biodiversity leads to resources that supply many of our everyday needs.

Which of these is a consequence of extinction? (Lesson 8 Reading Comprehension Question)

Biodiversity is decreased.

Which of these is a sign of a healthy ecosystem? (Lesson 9 Reading Comprehension Question)

Producers are carrying out photosynthesis.

Which of these is not a service ecosystems provide to humans? (Lesson 9 Reading Comprehension Question)

Curing diseases

Which of these is a way humans can help to restore coastal and river ecosystems to protect against flooding? (Lesson 9 Reading Comprehension Question)

Restore dunes and natural vegetation

Which of these is a criterion that engineers needed to meet in order to provide New York with clean drinking water? (Lesson 9 Reading Comprehension Question)

The water needed to be filtered of dirt particles and free of disease causing organisms.

Which of these is a constraint that engineers had to consider when designing a water supply system for New York? (Lesson 9 Reading Comprehension Question)

The system needed to be inexpensive.

Which of these is an effect of the large increase in Earth’s human population? (Lesson 10 Reading Comprehension Question)

There are more individuals using more natural resources than ever before.

Which of these describes an effect of habitat degradation? (Lesson 10 Reading Comprehension Question)

Natural ecosystems may be changed or destroyed.

What are two criteria for a species to be considered invasive? (Lesson 10 Reading Comprehension Question)

It has been introduced to a place it is not naturally found; causes ecological or economic harm.

Which of these is true of climate change? (Lesson 10 Reading Comprehension Question)

It is a long-term change in climate patterns, it increases the frequency of severe weather, and it causes changes in average global temperatures. (All of the above.)

How can scientists use computer models of climate change to make predictions about its effect on human populations? (Lesson 10 Reading Comprehension Question)

Computer models can help city planners figure out how to prevent future damage.

What is the first step engineers take in designing a way to restore disrupted ecosystems? (Lesson 10 Reading Comprehension Question)

Engineers create a model of the ecosystem.

What happens when the climate is harsh in an ecosystem? (Lesson 8 Notes)

The number of organisms that live there is limited so the biodiversity is low.

What is biodiversity based on, the amount of organisms in the ecosystem or the variety of organisms in the ecosystem? (Lesson 8 Notes)

The variety of organisms in the ecosystem

What terrestrial environments have the highest biodiversity? (Lesson 8 Notes)

Those with warm climates and plenty of rainfall.

What happens to natural resources when the human population increases? (Lesson 10 Notes)

More natural resources are taken out of ecosystems for people to use or consume.