Download Unit 9 Study Guide Ecological Organization

Study Guide for the Unit 9 Science Exam – Ecological Organization
Layout
TOPICS
32 Multiple Choice Questions
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3 Fill-in the blank Questions
2 Short Answer Questions
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Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Levels of ecological organization
Food Chains, Food Webs & Energy
Pyramids
Biogeochemical Cycles (Water,
Carbon & Nitrogen)
Terms to know:
Ecology -The scientific study of the interactions of living things with each other and their
relationships with the environment.
Population - Organisms of the same species that live in the same area and interact with one another.
Community - Populations of different species that live in the same area and interact with one
another.
Ecosystem - A natural unit consisting of all the living organisms in an area functioning together with
all the nonliving physical factors of the environment.
Biosphere – The areas of Earth where all organisms live; extends from about 11,000 meters below
sea level to 15,000 meters above sea level.
Niche - The role of a species in its ecosystem; includes all the ways species’ members interact with
the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem.
1. Examples of Abiotic Factors: __air
currents, temperature, moisture, light, and
soil.________________________________________________________________
2. Examples of Biotic Factors: _Any living
organism._____________________________________________________________
3. Order of Ecological Levels from SMALLEST to LARGEST
_organism____________  __population______________  ___community_______________
__ecosystem__________________biosphere_____________ _
4. Other names for Producers : ____photoautotrophs____________, ___chemoautotrophs______________
5. Original Source of Energy for Ecosystems = ____sun______________
6. Examples of:
a. Producer – _____plants, grasses, algae,
trees_________________________________________________________________
b. Primary Consumer – _grasshopper,
zooplankton____________________________________________________________
c. Secondary Consumer – __mouse,
fish__________________________________________________________
d. Tertiary Consumer – _snake,
seal_____________________________________________________________
e. Detrivore – ____earthworms,
centipeades_________________________________________________________________
f.
Decomposer – __fungi,
bacteria_________________________________________________________________
7. Why are decomposers always at the end of a food chain/web? ___They break down the dead organisms and
convert the nitrates back into nitrogen gas.___________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
8. Energy Pyramids and trophic levels:
a. What is at the base of the energy pyramid and WHY: ____Producers because they have the most
energy and have the most biomass.______________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
b. What is at the top of the energy pyramid and WHY: _Tertiary Consumers because they have the
least amount of energy._________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
c. What does most of the energy from food get used for?: __metabolism_____________,
___heat______________, _____respiration_____________
d. How much energy is passed to the next trophic level? __10%________________
e. Does ENERGY get recycled? _____No_________
9. Water Cycle : Processes involved: ____Evaporation, Sublimation, and Transpiration,_ Condensation
and Precipitation,___ Infiltration and
Runoff,____________________________________________________________________________________
10. Carbon Cycle: Reservoirs are __areas that store large amounts of carbon for long period of time or short
periods of time.___________________________________________________________
Examples of reservoirs: _____ocean, lakes, ponds,
wetlands_________________________________________________________
Processes involved: ____photosynthesis; Diffusion; Decomposition; Respiration; fossil fuel
burning; _____________________________________________________________
11. Nitrogen Cycle:
Nitrogen fixation- ___The process of converting nitrogen gas to nitrate ions that plants can absorb;
a. bacteria._ nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which secrete enzymes needed for the
process______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
b. Nitrification - ___The process of converting ammonium ions to nitrites or
nitrates.__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
c. Role players in cycle: __bacteria___________________, __producer__________________,
___nitrogen_______________
12. Greenhouse Effect:
a. Caused by: _______carbon dioxide from large carbon reservoir’s, decomposition of plants and
animals, human influences of burning fossil
fuels._______________________________________________________________