Science chapter 5

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.

1. water evaporates and changes into water vapor


2. water vapor cools and changes back into liquid form


3. transpiration (plants open their pores for carbon dioxide and loose water to evaporation)
4. Rain and snow precipitates onto land
5. underground water filters (filtiration) and moves into the ocean

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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?