Ecology Unit 1 Study Guide

Biology Vocabulary

Biodiversity

Variety of life in a habitat or ecosystem

Biotic Factors

Living things

Abiotic Factors

Non-Living things

Ecology

The study of the interactions among living things and between living things and their surroundings

Levels of Organization

Hierarchy of complex biological structures or systems

Organism/Individual

A single living thing

Population

A group of the same species that lives in one area

Community

Group of different species that live together in one area

Ecosystem

Includes all of the organisms as well as the climate, soil, water, rocks, and other nonliving things in a given area

Biome

Major regional or global community or organisms

Biosphere

All organisms and the part of Earth where they exist

Population Growth

Change in the amount of individuals or organisms in an area over time

Exponential Growth

Growth in population that is not limited by resources

Logistic Growth

When population stabilizes as the result of the population reaching the max for resources available

What impacts population growth

Births and immigration

What impacts population decline

Deaths and emigration

Limiting Factor

A factor that controls an organism’s population, size, or distribution

Carrying Capacity

The maximum amount of individuals an ecosystem can support without destroying the resources

Overshoot

When a population exceeds carrying capacity

Usually leads to a new, decreased carrying capacity

Competition for Resources

Once carrying capacity has been reached, organisms will compete for the necessary resources for survival

Symbiotic Relationships

Relationships between species where at least one organism benefits

Mutualism

Both species benefit

Commensalism

One benefits, other is unaffected

Parasitism

One benefits at expense of another

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food

Consumers/Heterotrophs

Organisms that get their energy by eating other living or once living resources

Herbivore

Only eats plants

Omnivore

Eats both plants & animals

Carnivores

Only eats animals

Decomposer

Detritivores that break down organic matter into simpler compounds

Food Chain

Sequence that links species by their feeding relationsihps

Trophic Levels

Levels of nourishment in a food chain

Food Web

Shows the complex network of feeding relationships & the flow of energy within an ecosystem

Energy Pyramid

Compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other trophic levels

Biomass Pyramids

Shows total mass of organisms at each trophic level

PYramid of Numbers

The actual number of organisms at teach trophic level

Carbon Cycle

Process where carbon is cycled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms

Respiration

Nearly all organisms produce carbon dioxide as a water product

When organisms breathe

Combustion

Carbon stored in plants and fossil fuels are released when these substances burn

Erosion

As rock breaks it releases carbon molecules

Behavior

A response to stimuliS

Stimulus

Type of information that has the potential to make an organism change it’s behavior

Innate Behavior

Instinctual, organisms can do it correctly for the first time without prior experience

Learned Behavior

Behavior learned through experiences

Groups

Animals or organisms that live, travel, and work together

Group Behavior

Behaviors of a group that can be noticed