Studied by 27 people
ecology
the study of interactions among organisms and their environment
biotic factors
the living parts of an ecosystem including communities, populations, and individual organisms
population
group of organisms of the same species
community
groups of populations that live in the same area
ecosystem
a community and its non-living surroundings
biosphere
the life supporting layer of earth and its surrounding atmosphere
photosynthesis
when a plant uses the suns energy to convert water and carbon dioxide in to glucose and oxygen
niche
the role of an organism or population in its ecosystem
producer
a living thing that can make its own food
consumer
a living thing that eats other living things for food and energy
herbivore
a consumer that eats only plants
carnivore
a consumer that eats only animals
omnivore
a consumer that eats both plants and animals
decomposer
a living thing that breaks down waste and dead things
nutirents
the elements and compounds needed by organisms to stay alive
precipitation
any form of water that falls from the sky
condensation
water vapor cools and changes back into liquid
evaporation
water driven by the heat of the sun changes into vapor and rises into the air
transpiration
plants open their pores for carbon dioxide and loose water to evaporation
respiration
the act of breathing again
food chain
shows how each member of an ecosystem community gets its food
energy pyrimid
diagram that shows how energy moves from one feeding level to the next in a food chain
primary carnivore
the first organism in the food chain to eat meat
secondary carnivore
the second organism in the food chain to eat meat
apex predator
a consumer with no predators aka “the top dog”
food web
a group of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
competition
happens when members of an ecosystem depend on the same limited supply of food
predator
animals that hunt and feed on other animals
prey
animals that are killed for food by a predator
symbiosis
an interaction where 2 species live together for a long period of time and at least one of the species benifits
growth rate
the change in size of a population over time
invasive species
a species that has been introduced to a region where it did not previously occur naturally and spreads rapidly
pollutant
a variable that causes harm to an organism
biomagnification
when toxins accumulate in the tissues of living things and build up
toxins
human activities to create bad things
turbidity
the cloudiness of water
chemosynthesis
when producers use chemicals to make their own food
Individual organisms, population, community, ecosystem, biospehre
What are the five levels of higher organization?
Swamps, Forests
What are some examples of an ecosystem?
We get energy by eating plants, which get their energy from the sun
As a member of an omnivorous population, how does the sun’s energy get to you?
When a plant uses the suns energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen
What is photosynthesis?
6 CO2 + 6 H2O→ C6H12O6 + 6 O2
What is the equation for photosynthesis?
a term that describes a role of a species or population in its ecosystem. Ex: producer, consumer, decomposer
What is a niche? Give an example.
a living thing that makes its own food Ex: plants, trees, grass
What is a producer? Give several examples of producers.
Herbivore-eats plants
Carnivore- eats animals
Omnivore- eats both plants and animals
What are the different kinds of consumers called? What makes them different from each other?
No, because a decomposer and a consumer are two different roles in an ecosystem so It can’t be both
Is a decomposer a consumer? Explain.
It flows from Producers→Consumers→Decomposers
Explain how nutrients and energy flow through an ecosystem.
water evaporates and changes into water vapor
water vapor cools and changes back into liquid form
transpiration (plants open their pores for carbon dioxide and loose water to evaporation)
Rain and snow precipitates onto land
underground water filters (filtiration) and moves into the ocean
What are the names of the important steps in the water cycle?
When plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.
What is the carbon-oxygen cycle?
it shows how each member of an ecosystem gets its food. Producer→consumer→consumer→ decomposer
What is a food chain? Give an example of a food chain
Why does energy decrease as you move up a food chain?
Producers
What is at the base of an energy pyramid?
It gets decreased by 90% each time you go up the pyrimid, and only 10% stays with that next organism. That 90% gets lost as you go up the levels.
How does the energy change from the base of the pyramid to the top of the pyramid?
a group of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
What is a food web?
The sizes of populations within a community remain relitavely stable over time.
What is ecological balance?
Competition- competing for food
Predator-Prey- predators eating prey
Symbiosis- 2 different organisms living together and at least one organism benifits
What are three types of interactions in an ecosystem? Give an example of each.
a group of individuals of the same species living in a given area
What is a population?
The amound of food avaliable, the space thats avaliable
What can limit a population’s growth?
A species that has been introduced to a region where it did not previously occur naturally and spreads rapidly. They are a problem because they can inturrupt natural interactions
What is an invasive species? Why are invasive species a problem?
An organism that isn’t native to an area. No
What is an exotic species? Are all exotic species also invasive species?
A pollutant is something that causes harm to a living thing Ex: power plants, factories
What is a pollutant? Give some examples of pollutants.
They are very harmful to pollutents, they impact trophic levels
Why are toxins a problem in ecosystems?
because water is an abiotic factor in most ecosystems, and organisms depend on water for good drinking, we rely on it for cleaning and agriculture.
Why should we worry about water quality?
Chemosynthesis is where energy is produced through chemical reactions instead of being produced from the sun.
What is chemosynthesis?
zooplankton
little floating animals
phytoplankton
little floating plants
exotic species
an organism that isnt native to an area
It helps us understand what an owl ate in an ecosystem
How does the owl lab relate to this chapter?
Note 
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