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Ecology Review
Vocabulary:
Condensation
Evaporation
Percepitation
Biosphere
Trophic level
Biotic
Niche
Control group
Decomposer
Displace
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
Death rate
Population
Ecosystem
Community
Ominivore
Abiotic
Heterotrophs
Dependent variable
Mutualism
Emigration
nitrification
scavenger
birth rate
Predator-Prey
Commensalism
Limiting factors
Carrying Capacity
Autotrophs
Independent variable
Parasitism
Problem
terrestrial
biodiversity
immigration
1. How does energy flow through a food chain?
Sun  producers  herbivores  carnivores
2. If there is a reduction in competition between predators what would happen to the number of predators?
It would increase because there is no one to compete for food.
3. If there are fewer prey for predators to eat what would happen to the number of predators?
It would decrease because there is no food for the predators to eat
4. If deforestation where to occur what things in the environment change?
Less oxygen in the air and more carbon dioxide
Fewer homes for animals so they have to migrate to other places
5. Where do Producers get energy from?
The sun
6. Once a group of organisms reaches carrying capacity the organisms begin to fluctuate due to what?
Limiting factors
7. List interactions of organisms in nature from smallest to largest
Organisms, Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem
8. Name the producer(s) in the food chain. _algae__________________________
9. Name the consumer(s) in the food chain. _zooplankton, small fish, squid, shark
10. What is an ecological pyramid? _a diagram showing relative amounts of energy or matter contained
within each trophic level in a food chain or food web
11. When does competition occur? _when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use a
resource at the same time in the same place
12. In an ecosystem, energy flowsA from scavengers to producers to decomposers
B from producers to consumers to decomposers
C from consumers to producers to decomposers
D from decomposers to consumers to producers
13. What is ecology? Branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms & between organisms & their environment
14. What is the biosphere? Combined portions of Earth in which all living things exist
15. What is the original source of almost all the energy in most ecosystems? The sun
16. Be able to interpret pyramid diagrams related to food webs/chains, energy, and biomass.
17. How is matter able to recycle through the biosphere? Biological systems do not use up matter, they transform it
18. Complete the energy pyramid by writing the source of the energy for the food web and how much
energy is available to first-, second-, and third-level consumers.
19. What is biomass? Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
20. Explain the cycles of matter: water, nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus.
21. Explain the differences between producers, consumers, autotrophs, and heterotrophs. Producers &
autotrophs – make their own food; consumers & heterotrophs – eat other organisms
22. What is a decomposer? Obtain nutrients by breaking down dead & decaying plants & animals
23. What is the difference between a food chain and a food web? Chain – series of steps by which organisms transfer
energy by eating & being eaten; web – interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem
24. Be able to identify steps in a food chain or food web (first-level or primary consumer, second-level,
etc.
25. What is a limiting factor? A biotic or abiotic resource in the environment that causes population size to decrease when it is
unavailable
26. What is a niche? The full range of conditions in which the organism lives & how it uses these conditions
27. How are different species able to share the same habitat? By occupying different niches
28. Be able to identify examples of parasitism, mutualism, symbiosis, and predation.
29. What effects do predators have on population size in a specific ecosystem? Number & kinds of predators can
affect the size of the population – too many  decrease; fewer  increase
30. What is ecological succession? Series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time
31. What are the differences between primary and secondary succession? Primary – no soil on surface; secondary
– surfaces disturbed without removing soil
32. Be able to identify different types of ecosystems.
33. What is sustainable development? Be able to identify sustainable development practices.
34.
Using natural
resources w/o depleting them; avoiding long term environmental harm
What are the goals of conservation biology? Wise management of natural resources, preservation of habitats &
wildlife, protection of biodiversity
Why is biodiversity important to human society? Natural resource, provides food & goods, provides medicines, etc.
35.
36. Describe how biological diversity is affected by habitat destruction. Habitat destruction is one of the greatest
threats today to biological diversity
37. What is soil erosion? Wearing away of surface soil by wind & water
38. Be able to differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources. Renewable – resources that can
regenerate or be replenished by natural processes; nonrenewable – cannot be replenished by natural processes
39. What is a carrying capacity and why might the population of an animal change based on this?
Is the optimal population of a give species in a given space with certain amount of resources. If the
population goes higher than these given resources the population will begin to decrease
40. What a examples of abiotic and biotic factors?
abiotic -noliving things
biotic—all living things
41. What is the role of a decomposer? What elements is it responsible for recycling?
Decomposers recycle nutrients into the environment. Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous
42. As the population of a prey increases, what happens to the population of the predator? Why?
It will increase as well because there are more prey and less competition.
43. As the population of the prey decreases what happened to the population of the predator? Why?
The population decrease due to more competition and less prey.
44. Why would the population of a prey increase?
More resources and less predators
45. Describe how biological diversity is affected by habitat destruction.
Habitat distruction will decrease diversity
46. From 1920 to 2000 the population has?
Increased due to death rate decreasing.
46. The graph shows changes in shrimp populations over time. What can you conclude about the graph?
They are close to carrying capacity
47. The graph below shows the changes in sizes of four animal populations over a 16 year period. In
which population was birthrate more likely greater than death rate from year 8 to 12.
Population 3