bio ecology study guide

Vocabulary Terms

• abiotic: Non-living factors affecting the ecosystem

• endangered: Species at risk of extinction

• omnivore: Organism that eats both plants and animals

• acid rain: Rainfall made acidic by atmospheric pollution

• environment: Surroundings where organisms live

• parasitism: Relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another

• apex predator: Top predator with no natural enemies

• eutrophication: Excess nutrients in water bodies causing algal blooms

• parasite/host: Organism that lives on/in another (host) and benefits from it

• autotroph: Organism that produces its own food

• exotic: Non-native species introduced to an ecosystem

• poaching: Illegal hunting of wildlife

• biodiversity: Variety of life in an ecosystem

• exponential growth: Rapid increase in population size

• population: Group of individuals of the same species

• biomagnification: Increase in concentration of toxins in organisms higher in the food chain

• extant: Still in existence

• positive feedback loop: Process where a change leads to further changes in the same direction

• biomass: Total mass of living matter in a given area

• extinct: No longer existing

• predator: Organism that hunts and eats other organisms

• biome: Large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, and climate

• food chain: Linear flow of energy between organisms

• prey: Organism that is hunted and eaten

• biotic: Living factors affecting the ecosystem

• food web: Complex interconnections of food chains in an ecosystem

• primary consumer: Organism that feeds on producers (herbivores)

• carnivore: Organism that eats other animals

• global climate change: Long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns

• producer: Organism that produces energy from sunlight or chemicals

• carrying capacity: Maximum population size that an environment can sustain

• greenhouse gas: Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere

• resilience: Ability to recover from disturbances

• CFC: Chlorofluorocarbons, ozone-depleting chemicals

• habitat: Place where an organism lives

• resource: Naturally occurring materials used by organisms

• climate: Long-term weather patterns of an area

• herbivore: Organism that eats plants

• resource partitioning: Division of resources to avoid competition

• climax community: Stable community that undergoes little change

• heterotroph: Organism that consumes other organisms for energy

• secondary consumer: Organism that feeds on primary consumers

• climograph: Graph of climate data

• interspecific competition: Competition between different species

• species: Group of organisms capable of interbreeding

• commensalism: One organism benefits while the other is unaffected

• intraspecific competition: Competition among the same species

• succession: Process of change in an ecological community

• community: All the different populations in an area

• invasive: Non-native species that disrupt ecosystems

• symbiosis: Close relationship between different species

• competition: Struggle between organisms for the same resources

• keystone species: Species that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem

• tertiary consumer: Organism that feeds on secondary consumers

• competitive exclusion: Principle that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist

• limiting factor: Condition that limits growth of a population

• threatened: Species likely to become endangered

• consumer: Organism that consumes other organisms for energy

• logistic growth: Population growth that levels off as resources become limited

• tipping point: Threshold beyond which significant changes occur

• DDT: Pesticide that causes ecological harm

• mutualism: Relationship where both species benefit

• trophic level: Position in food chain/web

• decomposer: Organism that breaks down waste

• negative feedback loop: Process where a change leads to counteracting effects

• trophic pyramid: Representation of energy distribution among trophic levels

• detritivore: Organism that feeds on dead organic matter

• niche: Role of an organism in its habitat

• weather: Short-term atmospheric conditions

• ecosystem: Community of living organisms and their environment

• ocean acidification: Decrease in pH of ocean due to absorbing CO2

Key Questions and Topics

1. Food Chains: Short due to energy loss and limited resources.

2. Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs: Autotrophs produce food; heterotrophs consume it; decomposers recycle nutrients.

3. Consumer Categories: - Herbivore: Plant eater

   • Carnivore: Meat eater

   • Detritivore: Feeds on dead matter

   • Omnivore: Eats both plants and animals.

4. Food Web Example: Grass (producer), grain (producer), rabbit (primary consumer), mouse (primary consumer), snake (secondary consumer), fox (tertiary consumer), hawk (tertiary consumer). Arrows indicate energy flow.

5. Energy Flow: Enters ecosystem via sunlight; leaves as heat or through consumers.

6. Significance of Autotrophs: Essential for energy conversion and ecosystem function.

7. Nutrient Cycling vs. Energy Flow: Nutrients are recycled; energy flows through and is lost.

8. Feedback Loops: - Positive: Accelerates change (e.g., climate warming).

   • Negative: Stabilizes system (e.g., population control).

9. Mate Selection: Important for species continuity; done through signals and displays.

10. Sequential Hermaphroditism: Organism changes sex to maximize reproduction success.

11. Population Growth: Unlimited resources lead to exponential growth; limited by predators, disease, and resources, resulting in logistic growth.

12. Disturbances: Permanent (habitat destruction) vs. temporary (natural disasters).

13. Increasing Carrying Capacity: Sustainable practices and resource management.

14. Limiting Factors: Density-dependent (e.g., food scarcity) vs. density-independent (e.g., natural disasters).

15. Succession Dynamics: Species replace others as they adapt to new conditions.

16. Succession Types: Primary (developing on lifeless surfaces) vs. secondary (after disturbances).

17. Ecosystem Recovery: Stable ecosystems recover via species turnover; stressed ecosystems may struggle.

18. Energy Transfer: ~10% of energy moves to the next trophic level; the rest is lost as heat.

19. Predator/Prey Dynamics: Predator increase reduces prey, and prey increase can support more predators.

20. Symbiosis Examples: - Mutualism: Bees and flowers

• Commensalism: Barnacles on whales

• Parasitism: Ticks on animals.

21. Avoiding Competition: Animals may use different resources or habitats.

22. Exotic Species Impact: Can outcompete natives, disrupt food webs, and alter habitats.

23. Human Impacts: Pollution, overexploitation, habitat destruction.

24. Endangerment Causes: Habitat loss, climate change, pollution.

25. Species Extinction Rate: Current rates exceed natural background rates, signaling a biodiversity crisis.

26. Biodiversity Importance: Maintains ecosystem stability, resilience, and resource availability.

27. Atmospheric CO2 Issues: Global warming and ocean acidification.

28. Acid Rain Causes: Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in atmosphere; harms ecosystems.

29. Ozone Depletion Causes: CFCs harm stratospheric ozone, protecting life from UV radiation.