Download Ecology Study Guide

Name________________________________________________ Date___________________ Block___
Ecology Study Guide
Part 1: Levels of Organization
Terms to Know: Biosphere, Biome, Ecosystem, Community, Population, Organism, Diversity/Biodiversity,
Niche, Abiotic, Biotic
Largest
Smallest
The biosphere is ______________________________________________________________.
Biomes are large regions of the Earth characterized by their __________________________.
An ecosystem is made up of all the ________________ and __________________ things in
an area.
Examples of biotic factors: plants, animals, bacteria
Examples of abiotic factors: water, wind, rocks, soil
In an ecosystem, each organism has a _____________, or a job. Its job consists of where it
lives (_________________), what conditions it can live in, what it eats, and what eats it.
Organisms that share the same niche in the same habitat will _______________________for
resources.
A community is a two or more _________________ living in the same area.
Example: Fish, algae, and algae eaters living in a fish tank
A population consists of many of the same ___________________.
Example: A pride of lions, or a flock of birds
An organism is a single _______________thing.
Example: A human being, a cockroach, or a puppy
Biodiversity is essential to the survival of an ecosystem. An ecosystem has a lot of
biodiversity if it has (many or different) types or species of organisms.
(circle one)
Challenge Question: Which biome has the most biodiversity and why?
Part 1(continued): Symbiosis
Terms to Know: Symbiosis, Mutualism, Commensalism, Competition, Predation, Parasitism
Symbiosis- two species living together
Mutualism- a relationship in which _____________________________________________
Example:
Commensalism- a relationship in which ___________________________________________
Example:
Competition- a relationship in which ______________________________________________
Example:
Predation- a relationship in which _________________________________________________
Example:
Parasitism- a relationship in which ________________________________________________
Example:
For the table below, fill in the box with a + if the species benefits and a – if the species is harmed.
Leave it blank if the species is not affected.
Symbiotic relationship
Organism 1
Organism 2
Mutualism
Parasitism
Competition
Commensalism
Predation
Part 2: Energy Flow
Producer (Autotroph)- ___________________________________________________
Consumer (Heterotroph)- _________________________________________________
Herbivore- _______________________________________________________________
Omnivore- _______________________________________________________________
Carnivore- ________________________________________________________________
Food chain: grass insect bird snake hawk
**Arrows show the direction of ______________ flow **
Food web: A collection of interconnected food chains
**Organisms can occupy multiple ______________________ at the same time**
Draw a small food web with 5 animals. Label their nutrition type (herbivore,
omnivore, carnivore) and their trophic level (producer, primary consumer, etc.)
Energy Pyramid: shows the flow of energy in an ecosystem in trophic levels
Least Energy
As we go up the pyramid,
energy is lost due to life
processes (Examples: making
own food, or running around
trying to find and eat food)
**This energy is mostly
released as ______________**
Most Energy
**The first organism in a food chain, food web, or energy pyramid will always be
some type of ___________ also known as an _______________**
In an energy pyramid, the lowest level (producer) has the ____________energy
and the larger number of organisms. The highest level (usually a tertiary
consumer) has the ______________ energy and the smallest number of organisms.
Challenge Question: Why don’t the grasshoppers get all the energy from the
grass that the grass got from the sun?
Answer: This is because most of the _________ is lost as _______.
Only ______% goes to the grasshopper.
Part 3: Abiotic Cycles (Biogeochemical Cycles)
Terms to Know: water cycle (evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation,
run-off), carbon cycle (photosynthesis, cellular respiration, fossil fuels), nitrogen cycle
(nitrogen fixation, ammonification, denitrification)
Water Cycle
Evaporation-water turns from a liquid to a gas (what happens if you
leave a glass of water out?)
Transpiration- “sweating” of plants; water turns from liquid to gas and
returns to the atmosphere
Condensation- water droplets condense or come together to form larger
droplets; this is how clouds are formed
Precipitation- water droplets get heavy and fall from the atmosphere
(ex: rain, snow, sleet)
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen fixation- bacteria or lightning “fix” nitrogen from an unusable
form (in the atmosphere) to a useable form (in the soil)
Denitrification- bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere
Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis- plants use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make
their own food
Cellular Respiration- the process in which consumers release carbon
dioxide back into the atmosphere after making ATP
Fossil fuels- burning fossil fuels (from cars) release carbon dioxide back
into the atmosphere
**Consumers get carbon from the organisms they _______**
Part 4: Biomes
Terms to Know: tundra, taiga, temperate deciduous forest, grassland, desert,
tropical rainforest, aquatic biome, climate (temperature & precipitation),
vegetation
The land biomes are also called terrestrial biomes, because they are on land.
Question1: Besides plants and animals, what other factor distinguishes one
biome from another?
Answer:___________________________________________________.
Question 2: What are two ways humans have impacted these biomes?
Answer:____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
Succession- how a community of plants “grows up”
Terms to Know: succession, primary succession, secondary succession, pioneer
community, pioneer species, climax community
Begins With….
A result of….
Primary Succession
Secondary Succession
Pioneer communities are made up of
pioneer species like lichens, mosses, and
grasses.
Succession
Pioneer species start soil formation for
succession to take place.
Climax
Community
Pioneer
Community
Climax communities are made up of
larger plants like trees.
Challenge Question:
Why are pioneer species essential to succession, especially in primary
succession?
Carrying capacity: _________________________________________________________.
Extinction: a species is no longer _______________.
1. A new species of mouse is introduced into an environment. These mice
reproduce and the population grows. As the population grows, food
resources diminish and predation by hawks increases. Eventually, the
number of mice in the environment levels off so that the rate of birth equals
the rate of death. What is this nearly constant number of organisms called?
A. Carrying capacity
B. Exponential growth
C. Linear growth
D. Competitive edge
2. The first stage of succession in a forest was probably the development of
__________.
A. Lichens
B. Shrubs
C. Trees
D. Flowers
3. Which of the following biome has the least amount of biodiversity?
A. Taiga
B. Desert
C. Tundra
D. Rain forest