Energy and Ecosystems unit

Vocab, targets

Producer/Consumer

In an ecosystem, a producer is an organism that can make its own food, typically through photosynthesis, while a consumer is an organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms.

Biomass

The total mass of living matter in a given area or volume, often used to measure energy in ecosystems.

Population and Comunity

A population refers to a group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area, while a community encompasses all the different populations that interact in that environment.

Limiting factor

Any environmental condition that restricts the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or population. Examples include availability of resources, predation, or climate.

Niche

The role or function of an organism or species within an ecosystem, including its habitat, resource use, and interactions with other organisms.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organic material, returning nutrients to the soil and helping to recycle matter in an ecosystem. Examples include fungi, bacteria, and some insects.

Detritivore

An organism that feeds on dead organic matter and breaks it down into smaller pieces, aiding in decomposition. Examples include earthworms and certain beetles.

resource

available in an ecosystem that organisms use for survival, such as food, water, and shelter.

food chain

is a linear sequence of organisms in an ecosystem through which energy and nutrients move as one living thing eats another

Food web

a complex network of interconnected and overlapping food chains that shows how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem

trophic level

the position an organism occupies in a food chain or food web, categorized by how it gets its energy

carrying capacity

the maximum number of individuals of a specific species that an environment can sustain indefinitely without damaging the habitat or depleting available resources

habitat

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism

tolerance

the willingness to accept behaviors, beliefs, or differences that differ from your own, even if you do not agree with them

Symbiosis

any close and long-term biological interaction between two different species

biodiversity

the extraordinary variety of life on Earth, encompassing every living organism from genes and species to entire ecosystems

immigration

the act of moving to a new country with the plan to live there permanently.

emigration

the act of leaving one's home country or place of residence to settle permanently or indefinitely in another country

ecological pyramid

a graphical diagram that shows the relationships, energy flow, and amount of living matter or organism counts across different feeding steps (trophic levels) in an ecosystem

Population density

the measurement of the number of people or organisms living in a specific unit of land area

Population dispersion

describes how individuals in a population are spaced, arranged, or distributed across a specific habitat at a given time

logistic growth

a model of population growth where a population's growth rate slows and eventually levels off as it reaches a maximum sustainable size due to limited environmental resources

exponential growth

a process where a quantity increases at a rate proportional to its current value, leading to a rapid, accelerating upward curve overtime

chemosynthesis

the biological process where certain organisms use chemical energy from inorganic molecules to produce food instead of using sunlight

Evenness

a measure of how evenly individuals are distributed among different species in a given community or ecosystem.

Richness

the quality or state of having an abundance of valuable, pleasing, or fertile qualities

Explain energy transfer/ energy flow and how that affects the structure of an ecosystem

Energy flow is the one-way passage of energy through an ecosystem, starting from the sun and moving through different feeding levels until it is lost as heat, This affects the ecosystem by determining how much life, structure, and complexity a habitat can support

Identify and describe the trophic levels of an ecosystem

the different steps or positions an organism occupies in a Trophic level food chain or food web, categorized by how the organism gets its energy,

Estimate the energy passed from one trophic level to another

Each step up on a trophic level pyramid loses 90% of its energy

Describe the meaning properties that scientists measure when they study populations

They measure death rate birth rate immigration emigration and Growth rate

Name and use the four determining factors in calculating population growth rate

Growth rate= ( immigration + birth ) - ( Emigration + death )

Give examples of limiting factors within a population

any environmental condition or resource that slows, stops, or controls the maximum size of a population

Compare the exponential model and logistic model of population growth

The exponential growth model assumes unlimited resources and a constant per capita growth rate, whereas the logistic growth model accounts for environmental limits and a carrying capacity that slows population growth as numbers increase

Name factors that determine patterns of population growth, and indicate how this changes a population over time, revealing the dynamic characteristic of populations

births (fertility), deaths (mortality), immigration, and emigration

Compare the different types of species interactions and give examples

Species interactions are the different ways that organisms affect each other within an ecosystem. They are classified based on whether the effect on each species is beneficial (+), harmful (-), or neutral (0)

Use examples and evidence from reading, videos, and field trips to analyze the impact humans are having or might have on the ecosystem

Humans are having a profound impact on global ecosystems, altering natural habitats, driving biodiversity loss, and shifting climate patterns. Because I don't have access to your specific classroom reading list, video clips, or local field trip destinations, the analysis below uses universal ecological case studies and foundational environmental science data to break down these impacts.

population density formula

Population Density = Population ÷ Land Area usually measured in km squared

Birth rate/ death rate formula ( two different answers)

#of children born divided by inhabitants in the area

#of deaths divided by inhabitants in the area

Is It possible to have declining growth rate across several years an still have a population increase

Yes, it is entirely possible to have a declining growth rate and still experience a total population increase due to immigration and also if your death rate stays the same and birth is slightly declining then yes because it is still possible