Ecology and Characteristics of Life

Flashcards reviewing ecology, biotic and abiotic factors, carrying capacity, limiting factors, characteristics of life, and ecosystem dynamics based on the lecture notes.

What are biotic factors?

The living and previous living components of an ecosystem.

What are abiotic factors?

The nonliving components of an ecosystem.

What is carrying capacity?

It is the maximum number of individuals in a species that an environment can support for the long term.

What is a limiting factor?

Factors/Resources in the environment that can lower population growth rate.

What factors contribute to limiting population sizes?

Food and food supplies, water, space/shelter, disease, predation, climate, competition.

What type of growth do organisms show when facing limiting factors?

They show logistic growth.

What are examples of biotic factors?

Bacteria, archaea, fungi, plants, animals, protists.

What are examples of abiotic factors?

Air, salinity, soil, temperature, light, water, minerals, pH, humidity.

What characteristic of life involves responding to the environment?

Responding.

What characteristic of life involves growth and development?

Growth.

What characteristic of life involves reproduction?

Reproduce.

What characteristic of life involves heredity?

Heredity.

What characteristic of life involves maintaining stable internal conditions?

Homeostasis.

What characteristic of life involves cellular structure and composition?

Cellular.

What is the role of metabolism in living organisms?

It involves energy from chemical reactions.

What happens when Population reaches carrying Capacity?

When a population approaches its carrying capacity, the rate of increases slows, and the birth rate equals the death rate. $\text{Pop Growth} = \text{Birth rate} - \text{Death rate}$

How does population appear on a graph?

The graph will have an S Shape, this shows a period of increase in the growth, followed by a leveling off of the population as it reaches carrying capacity.

What is a Keystone Species?

A significant species in an ecosystem that if removed, or lost, would have a significant impact on the ecosystem health.

What is a trophic cascade?

The removal of one species (often a keystone species or predator) impact lower levels of the food chain (like a domino effect).