Key Concepts in Ecology and Ecosystems

Ecology

What is the study of the interaction between living+nonliving?

Community

A group of different species living in the same place.

Ecosystem

What kind of things make up an ecosystem? Abiotic and Biotic factors (plants, decomposers, animals, temperature, the sun, etc.)

Habitat

The name of the physical location that an organism lives.

Niche

What organisms do in habitats. Examples: bears hibernate in caves.

Producers

Organisms that create nutrients for ecosystems.

Carnivores

Examples: Carnivores eat primarily herbivores (tigers, lions, bears, sharks, wolves).

Herbivores

Herbivores primarily eat plants (sheep, deer, turtles).

Biogeochemical cycle

What is the biogeochemical cycle? The recycling of chemicals necessary for life.

Water cycle

Which cycle contains evaporation+precipitation?

Population

Which represents a population? All the robins in Montgomery, AL (specific organism=population).

Demographic studies

What do demographic studies take into account? Diversity, population density, species richness, and dispersion patterns.

Dispersion patterns

Describe the different dispersion patterns. Clumped- when there's a lot of something built up in one area (HUMANS). Uniform- lined up in uniform distance between each other to keep each other apart (TIGER). Random- randomly dispersed because that's where their seeds are thrown. (PLANT)

Food chain

What is the difference between a food chain, and a food web? A food chain is one series of feeding relationships.

Food web

A food web is all of the series of feeding relationships.

Carrying capacity

What is carrying capacity? A number of how many an ecosystem can support.

Competition

What resources do organisms compete for? Foods, space, and mates.

Density independent limiting factor

What is a density independent limiting factor? A factor that affects the whole population no matter how many there are (human activity, natural disasters, animal behavior).

Density dependent limiting factor

What is a density dependent limiting factor? A factor that affects a population based on number (diseases, predation).

Predator-prey relationship

Which of the following best represents the relationship between a predator and its prey? Lion eating zebra.

Parasitism

What is parasitism? An organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host.

Plant defenses

Characteristics plants can use to protect themselves against herbivory? Thorns, chemicals, texture.

In competition

If two species are using the same resource they are?

Mutualism

What is mutualism? A mutually beneficial relationship between different species, where each participant gains a net benefit.

Example of mutualism

What is an example of mutualism? Butterflies pollinating flowers.

Commensalism

What is commensalism? An association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.

Example of commensalism

What is an example of commensalism? Birds that follow herbivores like cattle.

Ecosystems and equator

What happens to ecosystems as they get closer to the equator? Ecosystems closer to the equator typically have greater biodiversity and higher primary productivity.

Desert biome

What biome would you find succulents?

Temperate rainforests

Which biome would you find evergreen trees, high precipitation, and long summers?

Savanna biome

What biome would contain a large amount of grazing animals?