Honors Biology Ecology review

same set as the quizlet!

Producer/autotroph

An organism that can make its own food.

Consumer/heterotroph

An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

Omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals

Detritivore

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

Competition

Organisms will compete with each other for resources such as food, water, living space, shelter, mates. NOT a form of symbiosis

Predation

the preying of one animal on others. NOT a form of symbiosis

Symbiosis

relationship in which two species live closely together

Mutualism (+/+)

Interaction that benefits both species, form of symbiosis

Commensalism (+/0)

Interaction that benefits one species, no effect on the other, form of symbiosis

Parasitism (+/-)

One organism benefits (parasite) and the other is harmed (host), form of symbiosis, different from predation

10% rule

Only 10% of the total energy produced at each trophic level is available to the next level. The amount of energy passed up to the levels of the food pyramid reduces as you go up.

Sunlight

Main source of energy for life on earth.

Energy pyramid

Shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web

Units of energy

J, cal, kcal

biomass pyramid

represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level

Unit for biomass/mass

grams, kilograms

Pyramid of numbers

representation of the number of individual organisms in each trophic level of an ecosystem

Biomagnification

The increase in chemical concentration in animal tissues as the chemical moves up the food chain

Trophic cascade

the ripple effect of a predator's influence, through a food chain, on lower trophic levels in an ecosystem.

keystone species

a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

Top down control

when the abundance of trophic groups is determined by the existence of predators at the top of the food web

Food chain

A series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy, one part of the food web

Food web

network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

Abiotic factors

nonliving parts of an ecosystem (soil type, sunlight, etc)

Biotic factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area, can grow or decline based on certain factors

3 patterns of dispersion

Clumped, uniform, random

Clumped dispersion

Grouping together in multiple groups in the same area they inhabit; most common in nature--safety in numbers, protection, hunting, mating/breeding, shelter/food

Uniform dispersion

The pattern in which individuals are equally spaced throughout a habitat. Often territorial, needs space.

random dispersion

Random spacing of individuals of the same species within an area. Commonly seen in plants (seeds get dropped randomly)

Population Density

Number of individuals per unit area

Growth Rate

how fast a population is growing or declining

Stable population equation

Birth rate+ immigration= Death rate + emigration, a nonchanging population

Increases population size

What happens to the population size when the number of births increase?

Decreases population size

What happens to the population size when the number of deaths increase?

Immigration

individuals move INTO an area

Increases population size

What does immigration do to population size?

Emigration

individuals move OUT of an area

Decreases population size

What does emigration to population size?

Characteristics of J Curve/Exponential

Happens in ideal conditions with unlimited resources, NOT natural. Occurs when individuals reproduce at constant rate. Not sustainable and often ends in a "crash"

Characteristics of S Curve/ Logistic

Has a carrying capacity. Tests the realistic/natural number of how much an ecosystem can support

Carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support (coefficient k)

density dependent factors

only become limiting when the population reaches a certain level of density, becomes worse when density increases

density independent factors

affect ALL populations in the same way, regardless of population size. Often natural disasters, abiotic factors