Download Section 7.1 Review Answers and Concept Review Ecology

Section 7.1 Review Answers
and Concept Review
Ecology: the study of
interactions of living organisms with
their environment.
What Is An Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a natural unit
consisting of all plants, animals and
micro-organisms (biotic factors) in an
area functioning together with all of the
non-living physical (abiotic) factors of
the environment.
The Tundra
1. Give two Examples of two large
and two small ecosystems?
• Large ecosystems include forests, deserts,
oceans, and Earth as a whole.
• Small ecosystems include a spruce tree,
the human body, an urban park, a pond, or
a rotting log.
2. What is a sustainable
ecosystem?
• A healthy environment that endures and
supports a variety of organisms
3.What does sustain mean?
• Sustain means to endure and to support.
4. Explain how the Ruby-throated
hummingbirds are dependent on more
than one ecosystem?
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds live part of
the year in a tropical rain forest, and then
they stop in many ecosystems along the
way as they migrate north in the spring.
They spend the summer in meadows and
wetlands in Canada.
5. Why is the America Eel
important to it’s ecosystem?
• Eels eat insects, crustaceans, fish, frogs,
and dead animals.
• They are prey for other fish, birds, and
mammals.
• Both saltwater and freshwater species and
their ecosystems are affected by a
decrease in the eel population.
Symbiosis, Predation, Competition
6. What is Symbiosis?
6. What is Symbiosis?
• Symbiosis is the interaction between
members of two different species that live
together in a close association.
7. What is Predation?
• Predation occurs when one organism (the
predator) consumes another organism (its
prey) for food.
7. What is Predation?
7. How does Predation effect
ecosystems?
• The relationship between predators and
their prey can influence the population of
both the predator and the prey, as well as
affect the entire ecosystem in which they
live.
7. What is Competition?
• Competition occurs when two or more
organisms compete for the same
resource, such as food, in the same
location at the same time.
7. What is Competition?
7. How does Competition effect
ecosystems?
• Competition can influence the population
size and success of a group of organisms.
Sometimes, one group of organisms is
outcompeted by another group.
8. List some biotic parts of the
ecosystem you live in?
• Biotic parts could include people, pets,
houseplants, crops, grass, insects, and
bacteria.
9. List three abiotic factors and how
each are effected by human activity.
• Any three of the following: water, light,
oxygen, nutrients, and soil.
• Could have said any reasonable response
regarding the effect that human activity
could have on the abiotic part.
10. Describe abiotic and biotic
characteristics of a temperate
deciduous forest.
• The abiotic features of temperate deciduous
forests include:
– Receiving between 75 cm and 180 cm of precipitation
per year, equally distributed throughout the year.
– Seasonal changes between summer and winter are very
large. Temperatures range from –30°C in winter to 30°C
in summer.
– Temperate deciduous forests have four distinct seasons
and a long, warm growing season.
– Fallen leaves that break down and release nutrients
enrich the soil in temperate deciduous forests.
10. Describe abiotic and biotic
characteristics of a temperate
deciduous forest.
• The main biotic feature of temperate deciduous
forests are:
– trees that lose their leaves during the winter.
– The forest has a complex structure that consists of
plants that grow in four to five layers.
– The many layers in the forest provide a variety of
habitats for squirrels, rabbits, skunks, cougars, deer,
wolves, bears, and amphibians. Squirrels, chipmunks,
and blue jays store nuts and seeds in tree hollows.
– Some mammals hibernate. Many birds migrate to
warmer areas in winter.
11. What are two threats to the
sustainability of temperate
deciduous forest?
• Acid precipitation and clearcutting the
forests