Populations and Resources Assessment Review

Vocabulary and key concepts regarding population dynamics, resource interactions, and energy flow within an ecosystem.

Consumer

An organism within a population that eats other organisms for food.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area.

Resource Population

A population that is eaten by another population, acting as a source of energy.

Competition

The interaction between populations or individuals that rely on the same limited resources.

Ecosystem

A system of all the living and nonliving things interacting in a specific area.

Sample

A small part or subset of a population used to represent and understand the whole group.

Energy Storage Molecule

Molecules, such as glucose, that organisms use to hold and provide energy for life processes.

Energy Pyramids

A diagram used to show how energy flows through an ecosystem across different levels.

Trophic Levels

The specific levels or steps in an energy pyramid or food web.

Glucose

A specific type of energy storage molecule used by populations to fuel reproduction and survival.

Birth Rate

The number of births in a population over a specific period of time.

Death Rate

The number of deaths in a population over a specific period of time.

Resource/Consumer Increase Relationship

When the resource population increases, the consumer population also increases.

Resource/Consumer Decrease Relationship

When the resource population decreases, the consumer population also decreases.

Population Growth Condition

Occurs when Birth Rates outnumber Death Rates.

Population Decline Condition

Occurs when Birth Rates are lower than Death Rates.

Population Stability

The state where a population size remains the same because Limiting Factors remain constant.

Energy Flow

Moving through an ecosystem via Trophic Levels and Energy Pyramids, directly affecting Birth Rates and Death Rates.