Download Introduction to Ecology

Introduction to Ecology
I.
Fill in the missing terms to complete the following passage.
Living organisms in our world are connected to other ______________ in a variety of
ways. The branch of biology called _________________ is the scientific study of
interactions among organisms and their ____________________, including relationships
between living and _________________ things.
All living things on Earth can be found in the ___________________ , the portion of
Earth that supports life. It extends from high in the ____________________ to the bottom of
the oceans. Many different environments can be found in the biosphere. All living
organisms found in an environment are called __________________ factors. Nonliving parts
of an environment are called ____________ factors.
II.
Matching
a. community
b. consumer
c. producer
d. population
e. ecosystem
f. competition
1. A group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the
same time
2. A collection of interacting populations
3. Interactions among the populations and abiotic factors in a community
4. Occurs between organisms when resources are scarce
5. Organisms that manufacture their own food, autotrophs
6. Organisms that cannot manufacture their own food, heterotrophs
III.
True/False, if false, rewrite statement to make it true
1. A habitat is the role a species plays in a community.
2. A niche is the place where an organism lives its life.
3. A habitat can include only one niche.
4. A species’ niche includes how the species meets its needs for food and shelter.
5. The centipedes and worms that live under a certain log occupy the same habitat but have
different niches.
6. It is an advantage for two species to share the same niche.
7. Competition between two species is reduced when the species have different niches.
IV.
Multiple Choice.
1. All the robins in an area would be an example of a(n)
a. community
b. population
c. ecosystem d. biosphere
2. The broadest, most inclusive level of ecological organization is the
a. population
b. community
c. biosphere
d. ecosystem
3. A pond is an example of
a. population
b. a community c. a biosphere
d. ecosystem
4. Ecologists use models to
a. make predictions about the future behavior of an ecosystem
b. substitute for observations from the natural world
c. increase the complexity of simple ecosystems
d. account for the influence of every variable in a real environment
5. One biotic factor that could influence a plant might be
a. the amount of sunlight b. CO2 concentration c. soil pH d. pollinating insect
6. People who spend time at high elevations develop more red blood cells, which
helps
them obtain oxygen from the “thin air”. This phenomenon is an example of
a. acclimation b. adaptation c. migration d. dormancy
7. An animal that maintains its body temperature within a narrow range even when the
environmental temperature varies is an example of a
a. specialist b. generalist c. regulator
d. conformer
8. An animal that feeds on leaves from only a few species of plants is an example of
a. specialist b. generalist
c. regulator
d. conformer
V. Short Answer
1. Give three examples of abiotic factors and explain how they interact.
2. What are two ways the some organisms can escape from unfavorable environmental
conditions?
3.How can the production of acorns by oak trees affect Lyme’s disease in humans?
VI. Structures and Functions
VII.Complete the table below.
Types of Symbiosis – organisms of different species that live together in a close, permanent relationship
Description of Symbiosis
One species benefits and the other
species is neither benefited nor
harmed
One species benefits from the relationship
at the expense of the other species
Both species benefit from the relationship
Kind of Symbiosis
Example