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Ecology Note Sheet
Levels of organization:
Atoms  __________ Macromolecules  Organelles  _______  Tissue  __________
 System  Organism
Organization in ecosystem
1) Population – Same _________ in one area
2) Community – All the __________ in one area
3) Ecosystem – All the ____________ and abiotic factors in an area
4) Biosphere – Global ____________ . Thin layer surrounding earth that supports life
5) Biotic factors – ALL plants, animals and other _____ (bacteria etc.) in an area
6) Abiotic factors – _____________ environmental factors such as Temperature, Wind,
water , Sunlight, Rocks, Soil
Flow of energy in ecosystem
7) Autotrophs – Transform ____________ energy (light) into
chemical energy
8) Primary productivity – The net production of stored energy
produced by the _______________ in an ecosystem
9) Heterotrophs – Organisms that must obtain their energy by
________ other organisms
10)Food chain – Shows ______ energy path in an ecosystem
11)Food web – Shows all the ___________ (eating)
relationships. Change in one species can effect entire
ecosystem
12)Trophic levels and energy – ____________ lost at each level
13)Biomass – Total quantity of living matter in an ecosystem.
Only _______ transfers from one trophic level to another
Relationships in an Ecosystem
14)Niche - The role an organism fills in its community it “___________”
15)Niche is determined by – Habitat, Place in food chain, Specific food types, and
__________ they eat or hunt
16)Great horned owl and red tailed hawk have different Niches - Both eat small rodents,
Both live in same area BUT owls hunt at _________, hawks hunt during ______
17)Competition exclusion – Only one specie can occupy can occupy each niche
Ex. ________________ - different species at different tide levels
18)Prey = ___________ (or lower carnivore)
19)Predator = ________________
20)Scavenger - carnivore that does not ______________
Predator/prey Adaptations
21)Predator Adaptations - Adapted to catch, lure or ______________
Examples: trap door spider, angler fish, spider web. Green pit viper Infra-red heat sensor
22)Prey adaptations: __________ – camouflage OR _________ – colorful (poisonous)
OR _____________ – run/fly/climb
Examples:
A) Monarch Butterfly - Monarch Larva eat poison milk weed. Monarchs
___________ poison. Some Predators can adapt to monarch poison
B) Poison dart frogs – advertize poison
C) Camouflage examples: stick insect, flounder, leaf frog
23)Mimicry: One species __________ another to aid survival
Examples: monarch mimics, coral snake mimics, caterpillar mimics coral snake
Plant / herbivore interactions
24)Plant physical defenses
Examples- Thorns, sticky hairs, tough leaves,
25)Plant chemical defenses
Examples – poisonous – daffodils, hemlock, hot pepper capsaicin
Symbiosis - organisms living together in an ecosystem
26)Parasitism - pos/neg One benefits, one is _________________
A parasite will feed on a host but does not result in immediate death
Endoparasites – Live inside host.
Examples: Tape worm, Bacteria, Liver fluke
Exoparasites – External
Examples: Ticks, Leeches, Lampreys, mosquitoes
27)Mutualism - Pos/Pos
A cooperative relationship where _________ species ________
Ex. Acacia trees and fire ants. Acacia trees have thorns that secrete _______
Ants protect plant from animals that would eat plant, but they eat some nectar.
28)Pollinators – both flower and animal benefit. Examples: Insects, birds, others
29)Commensalism – (Pos/Neutral) One species _____________with little or no effect
on the other
Ex. ____________ follow army ants to find food
Ex. Cape buffalo - The buffalo stirs up the insects and the _______ can then eat them
30)parasitism and mutualism example –
Aphids/plant – Aphids are parasite
Aphids/ants – mutualism.
Ants protect aphids and eat their sugar secretions
31)Competition neg/neg? Only one organism will __________
Winner gets resources, food or mate