Ecology_Notes

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UNIT NOTES-ECOLOGY

ECOLOGY

________________ is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.

The biosphere contains combined portions of the planet that include: _____________,

______________, and ________________.

LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

The levels of organization that ecologists study include: ____________, ____________,

_____________, ______________, and ________________.

1. A _______________ is a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.

2. ________________ are groups of individuals that belong to the same ____________ and live in the same area.

3. ________________ are assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area.

4. An _____________ is a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place.

5. A ______________ is a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.

6. The highest level of organization is the _______________ itself.

UNIT NOTES-ECOLOGY

METHODS TO STUDY ECOLOGY

1. _____________________: The first step in asking questions.

2. _____________________: Can be used to test hypotheses.

3. _____________________: Ecologists make these to gain insight.

PRODUCERS

______________ is the main energy source for life on Earth.

Some organisms rely on the energy stored in ________________________________.

_____________________ capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food.

Because they make their own food, autotrophs are called _________________.

During ___________________, some autotrophs use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates.

Autotrophs that can produce food in the absence of light perform a process called

__________________.

CONSUMERS

Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply are called

_______________.

Heterotrophs are called _____________.

Types of heterotrophs:

1.

________________ eat plants.

2.

________________ eat animals.

3.

________________ eat both plants and animals.

4.

________________ feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter.

5.

________________ (bacteria and fungi) break down organic matter.

FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS

A ________________ is a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.

A ________________ links all the food chains in an ecosystem together.

UNIT NOTES-ECOLOGY

Each step in the food chain or food web is called a __________ __________.

______________ make up the first level.

______________ make up the second, third, or higher trophic levels.

ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS

An ____________________ is a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web.

Three types of pyramids:

1.

____________________—shows the amount of energy available at each trophic level.

2.

____________________—shows the total amount of living tissue within a given level.

3.

____________________—shows the number of organisms at each trophic level.

BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS

_______________ include all the living things in which an organism might interact.

Physical, or nonliving, factors that shape ecosystems are called _______________.

_____________, _________________, ______________, ________,

____________________________, _____________, and _________________.

The area where an organism lives is called its ______________.

A ________ is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way the organism uses the condition.

COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS

_________________ occurs when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use a resource in the same place at the same time.

An interaction where one organism captures and feeds on another organism is called

_______________. The organism that does the killing and eating is the ____________. The food organism is the ____________.

Any relationship in which two species live closely together is called _______________.

_________________—both species benefit from the relationship.

_______________—one member benefits and the other is not helped or harmed.

_________________—one member lives on or inside another organism and harms it.

UNIT NOTES-ECOLOGY

LIMITING FACTORS

A ________________ is a factor that causes population growth to decrease.

______________________________: A limiting factor that depends on population size.

Density-dependent limiting factors include:

1.

_________________—Organisms compete for food, water space, and sunlight.

2.

_________________—Takes place within a predator-prey relationship

3.

_________________—They live in or on an organism. They limit population growth.

4.

_________________—They limit population growth.

_______________________________: affect all populations, regardless of the population size

Examples of density-independent limiting factors:

1.

_________________________

2.

_________________________

3.

_________________________

4.

_________________________

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