Untitled Flashcards Set

Symbiotic Relationships (EASY MEMORY tropTRICK: MCP → Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism)

• Mutualism (+/+) → Both benefit 🐝 + 🌸 (bees pollinate flowers).
  
  

• Commensalism (+/0) → One benefits, the other is unaffected 🐦 + 🐂 (birds ride cattle for bugs).
  
  

• Parasitism (+/–) → One benefits, one is harmed 🦠 + 🐶 (fleas on dogs).

• Tip: Draw small symbols next to each for easy recall!
  
  

3. Introduction to Ecology 

Organism (1 living thing)

• Population (group of same species)
  
  

• Community (many species in an area)
  
  

• Ecosystem (living + non living things)
  
  

• Biosphere (all life on Earth)

4. Key Vocabulary 

✅ Producers – Make their own food (plants, algae).
✅ Consumers – Eat others to get energy.
✅ Decomposers – Break down dead stuff (fungi, bacteria).
✅ Primary consumer – Eats producers (herbivores).
✅ Secondary consumer – Eats primary consumers (carnivores/omnivores).
✅ Trophic levels – Steps in the food chain.
✅ Keystone species – The "glue" of an ecosystem (wolves, sea otters).
✅ Biodiversity – More species = better survival.

5. Cycling of Matter (Quick & Simple!)

🌊 Water Cycle (Memory Trick: E-C-P-R)

1⃣ Evaporation – Water rises from oceans/lakes.
2⃣ Condensation – Water forms clouds.
3⃣ Precipitation – Water falls as rain/snow.
4⃣ Runoff – Water flows back to oceans/lakes.

🌍 Carbon Cycle (Memory Trick: Plants In, People Out)

1⃣ Photosynthesis – Plants take in CO₂.
2⃣ Respiration – Animals breathe out CO₂.
3⃣ Decomposers – Break down dead organisms, releasing CO₂.
4⃣ Fossil Fuels – Burning adds CO₂ to the air.

🧪 Nitrogen Cycle (Memory Trick: Bacteria = Boss)

1⃣ Nitrogen-fixing bacteria turn N₂ into usable forms.
2⃣ Plants absorb nitrogen to grow.
3⃣ Animals eat plants, then poop/decompose.
4⃣ Decomposers break waste, returning nitrogen to soil.

6. Food Chains vs. Food Webs

Food Chain

• One single path of energy.
  
  

• Example: 🌱 → 🐛 → 🦎 → 🦅
  
  

Food Web (Why It’s Better!)

• Many food chains linked together.
  
  

• More realistic → Shows how species eat multiple things.
  
  

• Example: A hawk doesn’t just eat one thing – it can eat mice, snakes, or insects.
  
  

🔥 Why Food Webs Matter:
If one species goes extinct in a food chain, the whole chain collapses.
But in a food web, there are backups!

7. Keystone Species & Biodiversity

• Keystone species = Species that holds the ecosystem together (wolves, sea otters).
  
  

• Biodiversity = Stability! More species → Healthier ecosystem.
  
  

• Example: If wolves disappear, deer populations explode → Overeating plants → Ecosystem collapses