Download Ecology Review Draw a diagram of a marine food chain and label

Ecology Review
1. Draw a diagram of a marine food chain and label the different energy levels.
2. Identify the organisms that occupy the different trophic levels in the food web.
Producers
Plankton
1st Level Consumers
Krill, zooplankton, cod, adelie penguin,
squid
2nd Level Consumers
Adelie penguin, crabeater seal, cod,
krill, squid, elephant seal, leopard seal,
killer whale
3rd Level Consumers
Killer whale, elephant seal, leopard seal,
adelie penguin, crabeater seal
Herbivores
Zooplankton
Carnivores
Crabeater seal, killer whale, leopard
seal, elephant seal
Omnivores
Krill, cod, squid, adelie penguin
3. Give two example of predation in the food web above.
Predator Killer Whale
Prey Elephant Seal
Predator Leopard Seal
Prey Cod
4. Give two examples of competition in the food web above.

Leopard seals, killer whales, and elephant seals may compete for squid

Cod, zooplankton, adelie penguin, and crabeater seals may compete for krill
5. What role do producers play in the ecosystem?
Producers use the energy from the sun to carry out photosynthesis (make their own
food). They form the base of all food chains and pass on energy to consumers
6. Why is decomposition important for the health of an ecosystem?
Decomposers break down waste materials and dead organisms and return important
nutrients to the environment
7. What are biotic factors? Give an example.
Biotic factors are all the living parts of an ecosystem. Bears, flowers, tree, fish, etc.
8. What are abiotic factors? Give an example.
Abiotic factors are all the nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Light, water, temperature,
etc.
9. Give an example of organisms competing for abiotic factors.
Plants on the forest floor compete for sunlight
10. Explain limiting factors. What are some examples of limiting factors?
Factors that prevent a population from growing any larger. Limiting factors can be
food, water, habitat, mates, predators, etc.
11. Explain carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity refers to the size of a population that can live indefinitely in an
environment without doing that environment any harm. It applies to plants, animals and
people.
12. Describe the relationship between most predator and prey populations.
There is a direct relationship between predator and prey populations. As prey populations
increase, predator populations will also increase. As predator populations increase, prey
populations will begin to decrease, which will cause predator populations to decrease.
13. In what way do producers and consumers depend on one another?
Producers use carbon dioxide given off by consumers and consumers use oxygen given off
by producers
14. Explain resource partitioning.
Many organisms are adapted to overcome competition by resource partitioning. For
example organisms may feed at different times of day or at different levels of the same
tree. Resource partitioning helps competing species share a resource and develop a niche
for themselves in an ecosystem.
Sun
Grass
Grasshoppers
Rabbits
Mice
Frog
Snakes
1. List the producer(s)in the food web above:
Hawks
15. List the first-level consumer(s) in the food web above:
Grasshoppers, rabbits
16. List the second-level consumer(s) in the food web above:
Mice, Snakes
17. List the third-level consumer(s) in the food web above:
Frogs, Snakes, Hawks
18. If all the grasshoppers were removed from the food web above, grass and rabbits will
increase, and mice, frogs, snakes and hawks will decrease.
19. If all the hawks are removed from the food web above, snakes, grass, and rabbits will
increase, and mice, frogs and grasshoppers will decrease.
Symbiosis
20. Define and give an example of each type of symbiotic relationship listed below:
Relationship
Definition
Example
Effect
Commensalism
One species benefits and the other
Shark and Remora
is unaffected
Mutualism
Both species benefit
Sea Anemone and Clown
Fish
Parasitism
One species benefits and the other
is injured or killed
Tapeworm and a human
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Natural Selection
21. Who was Charles Darwin?
Charles Darwin traveled on the HMS Beagle on a science expedition around the world
and served as a naturalist. After visiting the Galapagos Islands, Darwin developed his
theory of evolution by natural selection.
22. What is natural selection?
The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are
more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species
23. Define and give an example of the three factors that Darwin identified that affect
natural selection:
Factor
Definition
Example
Overproduction
Most species produce far more
Sea turtles lay 100s of
offspring than can possibly survive
eggs
Competition
The members of a species must
compete with each other to survive
Sea turtles compete for
food
Variation
Any difference between individuals of
the same species
Some sea turtles may be
able to swim faster than
others
24. How does the environment “select” organisms?
Some variations make individuals better adapted to their environment. Those
individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce, so in that way the environment
“selects” organisms with helpful traits to be the parents of the next generation.
25. How are the finch beaks on the Galapagos Islands an example of an adaptation?
Each type of finch has a slightly different shaped beak, which is related to the type of
food it ate
26. How do organisms “get” adaptations?
Offspring inherit adaptations from their parents. They are passed on in their genes
(DNA).
27. How do new species form? A new species might form when a group of individuals
remains separated from the rest of its species long enough to accumulate different
traits
Oceans
28. How are humans dependent on the oceans?
The oceans give us more than half of the oxygen we breathe, regulate climate, and
provide valuable resources
29. What are some positive impacts humans can have on oceans?
Creating artificial reefs by sinking old ships provides more habitats for marine
organisms
30. What are some negative impacts humans can have on oceans?
Human activities including building cities that dump waste, using excess fertilizers and
pesticides on lawns and in agriculture that runoff into oceans, drilling for oil, and
overfishing all can negatively impact the oceans
31. What are some critical issues facing the oceans?
Overfishing, Sea Temperature Rise, Marine Pollution, Ocean Acidification, Marine
Habitat Destruction, Sea Level Rise, Marine Invasive Species
32. What are some affects that solid waste can have on ocean organisms?
Animals can get tangled up in debris and drown, sea turtles and other animals eat
plastic, mistaking it for food
33. How does runoff affect coral reef systems?
Nitrogen in the water can increase the number of algae, which can lead to a lack of
oxygen for fish and other sea creatures. It can also raise the temperature of the
water causing coral to die.
34. What are some ways you can help protect the oceans? Make safe, sustainable seafood
choices, Use fewer plastic products, take care when visiting reefs and beaches, Take
part in a beach cleanup