1. Ecology Test Review

2.  What are the 5 levels of organization in an ecosystem? Question 1

3.  Organism  Population  Community  Ecosystem  Biome Question 1 answer

4.  Name which level from above would go with each description.  Frog -  Frogs, birds, plants -  Temperate Forest -  Frogs -  Frogs, birds, plants, rocks, and wind – Question 2

5.  Name which level from above would go with each description.  Frog - Organism  Frogs, birds, plants - Community  Temperate Forest - Biome  Frogs - Population  Frogs, birds, plants, rocks, and wind – Ecosystem Question 2 Answer

6.  What is the difference between biotic factors and abiotic factors? Question 3

7.  Biotic means living or once living (plant, animal, bacteria)  Abiotic means non-living (wind, soil, sun) Question 3 answer

8.  What is the difference between a producer (autotroph) and a consumer (heterotroph)? Question 4

9.  A producer (autotroph) uses sunlight or chemicals to make its own food source.  A consumer (heterotroph) needs to consume other living things in order to get its energy. Question 4 answer

10.  Below is an energy pyramid. Divide it into 4 levels and name each trophic level. Give an example of each. Question 5

11. Question 5 answer Primary Producer: plants Primary Consumer: grasshopper Secondary Consumer: Mouse Tertiary Consumer: Snake

12.  What happens to the amount of energy between each level as you move up? Question 6

13.  90% of the energy is released as heat, only 10% transfers to the next level. Question 6 answer

14.  Why are many more producers needed to support the consumer levels? Question 7

15.  Because there is less energy at the top of the food chain, therefore much more energy is required to support those on top. Without producer, all population sizes decrease. Question 7 answer

16.  What is the difference between a food chain and a food web? Question 8

17.  A food chain shows what eats what.  A food web shows multiple food chains and the flow of energy in the food chain. Question 8 answer

18.  What are the 5 cycles of matter and why are they important to all living organisms? Question 9

19.  Water, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus  They are important because these elements are essential to life for all living things. Question 9 answer

20.  What important role do decomposers play in an ecosystem? Question 10

21.  They help to return nutrients (inorganic material) to the soil so that they can enter the food chain again (be absorbed by plants). Question 10 answer

22.  What is the difference between a habitat and a niche? Question 11

23.  A habitat is a “home” it describes where an organism lives.  A niche is the home plus the behaviors. It is the “job” of the organism in its habitat. Question 11 answer

24.  Explain 2 important ways in which species interact. Question 12

25.  1. Competition: interspecific and intraspecific  2. Predation Question 12 answer

26.  Explain the three types of symbiotic relationships. Question 13

27.  Mutualistic: both benefit  Commensalism: one benefits, other neutral  Parasitism: One benefits, the other harmed. Question 13 answer

28.  What are the 2 ways that populations can increase and decrease? Explain them. Question 14

29.  Decrease  Death  Emigration: individuals move out of a population (E=EXIT)  Increase:  Immigration: individuals move into a population (I=INTO)  Birth Question 14 Answer

30.  What is the difference between an exponential growth and a logistic growth? Question 15

31.  Exponential: Individuals reproduce at a constant rate under ideal conditions; dramatic increase. J-shape.  Logistic: population rises exponentially and then growth sloes as the population reaches its carrying capacity. S-Shape. Question 15 answer

32.  What is a carrying capacity? Question 16

33.  Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular environment that the environment can normally & consistently support. Question 16 answer

34.  Describe the difference between density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors. Use a plant as an example to discuss some things that may limit plant growth. Question 17

35.  Density-dependent: affect by the number of individuals in a population. Examples: competition, predation, parasitism, disease.  Density-independent: Aspects of the environment that limit population growth regardless of population size. Examples: unusual weather, natural disasters, human activities.  Plant Example: if there is a nutrient that is lacking in soil, that will inhibit plant growth (limits plant growth) (also seen as a limiting factor). Question 17 answer

36.  Describe the difference between primary and secondary succession. Question 18

37.  Primary: The establishment and development of an ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited. Example: on the rock surface created following a volcanic eruption  Secondary: The reestablishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact. Can happen many times in the same ecosystem. Question 18 answer

38.  What characteristics determine a biome? Question 19

39.  Abiotic factors (i.e. climate) – Most important factor in determining a biome.  Biomes of the same type have similar plant and animal species Question 19 Answer

40.  How has the human population been able to grow and not yet reach its carrying capacity? Question 20

41.  Technology has helped increase Earth’s carrying capacity.  Gas-powered farm equipment, medical advancements Question 20 Answer

42.  Explain the difference between renewable and non- renewable forms of energy. Question 21

43.  Nonrenewables are used faster than they can be formed. Ex: coal, oil, gas  Renewables cannot be used up or can replenish themselves in a relatively short period of time. Ex: sun, wind water. Question 21 answer

44.  List 3 different ways the burning of fossil fuels has changed our atmosphere. Question 22

45.  Smog (Air)  Acid rain (Water)  Global warming caused by increased CO 2 levels in the atmosphere Question 22 answer

46.  How does habitat fragmentation disrupt an ecosystem? Question 23

47.  Habitat fragmentation prevents an organism from accessing its entire home range by forming a barrier within the habitat. Can disrupt mating habits, migration patterns, etc.  Positive: Can lead to speciation (more biodiversity) Question 23 Answer

48.  Explain how introduced species and invasive species can disrupt other organisms in an ecosystem. Question 24

49.  Invasive species are introduced species that are highly successful because they invade. They can push out native species by overtaking their niche, pushing them out of their habitat, eating their food, preying on them, etc.  Introduced species can be beneficial in that they provide a new feeding relationship, or a positive benefit on their new ecosystem. Question 24 answer

50.  Explain what it means when a community in an ecosystem has reached equilibrium. Question 25

51.  If a community has reached their equilibrium then they have the same number and types of organisms over the course of many years. Question 25 answer

52.  What is an estuary? What is a watershed? Where would expect to find more biodiversity and why? Question 26

53.  An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where a river flows into an ocean. Mixture of freshwater and salt water.  A water shed is a region of land that drains into a river, river system, or another body of water.  An estuary would support more biodiversity because there are high level of nutrients found here. Life thrives here. Lots of biodiversity Question 26 answer

54.  The below graph shows the relationship between a predator (Canada lynx) and its prey (snowshoe hare) on an island. Identify and explain the relationship between the predator and prey’s population size. Does the predator (lynx) ever completely eliminate the prey (hare) population? Question 27

55.  When the hare increases there is a later increase in the lynx, this is because the lynx preys upon the hare. When the lynx eats the hare, the hare population goes down, then later the lynx population goes down because their food source decreased.  The lynx never completely eliminates the hare population, due to their predator prey relationship, the keep each others populations in check. Question 27 Answer