Download Name: ____________ Pd.: ______ Date: Ecologists Study

Name: _____________________________________________________ Pd.: ________ Date: ______________________
Study Guide – Principles of Ecology
Ecologists Study Relationships – Read the section and complete the following:
1. ___________________ the study of the interactions among living things, and between living things and their
surroundings
2. ___________________ an individual living thing
3. __________________ a group of the same species that lives on one area
4. __________________ a group of different species that live together in one area
5. __________________ The lowest level of complexity in the biosphere that includes both living (biotic) and
nonliving (abiotic) factors
6. __________________ a major regional or global community of organisms.
7. What two things usually characterize a biome? ________________________
8. What is the biome of central Georgia? ____________________
__________________________
______________________ ______________
9. Scientists rely on a variety of methods and tools to conduct research. Ecological research methods include the
following:
a. _______________________
the act of carefully watching something over time
b. _______________________
laboratory and field are two types
c.
computers and mathematics are used
_______________________
Biotic and Abiotic Factors – Read the section and complete the following:
Every ecosystem includes both living and nonliving factors.
Changing one factor in an ecosystem can affect many other factors.
10. __________________ Living things, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria
11. __________________ nonliving things such as moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, and soil
12. Ecosystems are always undergoing changes. As these changes occur, an ecosystem falls into a balance, which is
known as approximate _________________________.
13. The assortment, or variety of living things in an ecosystem is called ____________________________.
14. Name the biome that covers less than 7 percent of Earth’s ground surface but contains over 50 percent of the
planet’s plant and animal species. ____________________
__________________ __________________
15. ____________________ __________________ The term for an organisms which has an unusually large effect
on an ecosystem.
16. Why are beavers considered to be a good example of a keystone species? ______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
17. For each of the following, place a “B” in the space if it is a biotic factor, and an “A” if it is an abioitc factor in the
environment:
_______ bacteria
_______ fungus
_______ lichen
________ water
_______ sunlight
_______ humidity
_______ grass
________nitrogen
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Energy in Ecosystems – Read the section and complete the following:
18. ___________________ organisms that get their energy from nonliving resources, meaning they make their own
food.
19. Producers are also called ____________________.
20. ______________________ organisms that get their energy by eating other living or once living resources, such
as plants and animals.
21. Consumers are also called _________________________. Hetero means “different”
22. All ecosystems depend on ________________________, because they provide the basis for the ecosystem’s
energy.
23. All ____________________________ are connected in some way to producers.
24. Most producers on Earth use _______________________ as their energy source.
25. ____________________________ The process that green plants, some bacteria, and some protists use to
produce energy from sunlight.
26. Organisms which can make their own food from chemicals rather than sunlight use a process called
______________________________. These organisms are found in deep-sea vents, sulfur-rich salt marsh flats
and in hydrothermal pools, such as those found in Yellowstone National Park.
Section 13-4 –Food Chains and Food Webs – Read the section and complete the following:
27. ______________ ________________
a sequence that links species by their feeding relationships
Choose the correct term from the box below to fit each description
Carnivore
herbivore
secondary consumer
Decomposer
omnivore
tertiary consumer
Detritivore
primary consumer
trophic levels
28. I eat only plants. I am a(n) ______________________________________
29. I eat only other animals. I am a(n) ________________________________
30. I eat both plants and animals. I am a(n) ____________________________
31. I eat dead organic matter. I am a(n) ________________________________
32. I break down organic matter into simpler compounds. I an a(n) _________________________________
33. I am the first consumer above the producer level. I am a(n) ____________________________________
34. I am a carnivore that eats herbivores. I am a(n) ______________________________________________
35. I am a carnivore that eats other carnivores. I am a(n) __________________________________________
36. The levels of nourishment in a food chain are called _____________________________________________
37. How is a food chain different from a food web? _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
38. What type of organism provides the base of a food web? _____________________________________________
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39. What is a specialist? ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
40. What is a generalist? __________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
41. Primary consumers are ____________________________ because they are the first consumer above the
producer tropic level.
42. Secondary consumers are _________________________ that eat herbivores.
43. Tertiary consumers are ___________________________ that eat secondary consumers.
44. Why is carbon essential to living organisms? ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
45. Why is nitrogen essential to living organisms? ______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
46. Why is phosphorus essential to living organisms? ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Pyramid Models – Read the section and complete the following:
Complete the following sentences with the correct terms
Biomass
heat
waste
47. The measure of the total dry mass of organisms in a given area is called _________________________.
48. When a consumer incorporates the biomass of a producer into its own biomass, a large amount of energy is lost
as ______________________ and _______________________.
49. Label the four tiers of the energy pyramid with the correct trophic level (producers, primary consumers,
secondary consumers, tertiary consumers).
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50. Write a description of each pyramid model.
Model
Description
Energy pyramid
Biomass pyramid
Pyramid of numbers
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