Biological Communities Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is a species?

All organisms of the same kind that are genetically similar enough to breed and produce fertile offspring (correct)

A group of different species living together

All organisms of the same kind that cannot reproduce

All organisms living in a specific area at the same time

What defines a population?

All members of a species living in a given area at the same time.

What is a biological community?

All populations of organisms living and interacting in a particular area.

Which of the following best describes an ecosystem?

A biological community and its physical environment Signup and view all the answers

Most ecosystems are open.

True Signup and view all the answers

What are producers?

Organisms that photosynthesize. Signup and view all the answers

What is productivity?

The amount of biomass produced in a given area during a given amount of time. Signup and view all the answers

What is primary productivity?

Photosynthesis. Signup and view all the answers

What is secondary productivity?

Manufacture of biomass by organisms that eat plants. Signup and view all the answers

Net primary productivity will be low if decomposers decompose organic material slowly.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is a food chain?

A linked feeding series. Signup and view all the answers

What is a food web?

Individual food chains that become interconnected. Signup and view all the answers

What does trophic level refer to?

An organism's feeding status in an ecosystem. Signup and view all the answers

What are consumers?

Organisms that consume the chemical energy harnessed by producers. Signup and view all the answers

What defines primary consumers?

Organisms that eat producers. Signup and view all the answers

What are tertiary consumers?

Organisms that eat secondary consumers. Signup and view all the answers

What do secondary consumers eat?

Primary consumers. Signup and view all the answers

What are herbivores?

Plant eaters. Signup and view all the answers

What are carnivores?

Meat eaters. Signup and view all the answers

What are omnivores?

Organisms that eat both plants and animals. Signup and view all the answers

What is biomass?

Biological material. Signup and view all the answers

What do scavengers do?

Clear up dead carcasses of larger animals. Signup and view all the answers

What do detritivores consume?

Litter, debris, and dung. Signup and view all the answers

Energy decreases as it moves up an ecological pyramid.

True Signup and view all the answers

What percent of energy in one consumer level is represented in the next higher level?

10% Signup and view all the answers

What are cycles in ecology?

Hydrologic, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur. Signup and view all the answers

What are tolerance limits?

The single factor in shortest supply relative to demand is the critical determinant in the distribution of a species. Signup and view all the answers

What are environmental indicators?

Organisms or physical factors that serve as a gauge for environmental changes. Signup and view all the answers

What is convergent evolution?

Unrelated organisms coming to look and act very much alike. Signup and view all the answers

What does habitat mean?

The place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives. Signup and view all the answers

What is an ecological niche?

A description of either the role played by a species in a biological community or the environmental factors that determine species distribution. Signup and view all the answers

What is resource partitioning?

When two species compete for the same resource, one eventually wins. Signup and view all the answers

What are predators?

An organism that feeds directly upon another living organism. Signup and view all the answers

What is coevolution?

When species exert selective pressure on each other. Signup and view all the answers

What are parasites?

Organisms that feed on a host or take resources from it without killing it. Signup and view all the answers

What are pathogens?

Disease-causing organisms. Signup and view all the answers

What does symbiosis mean?

Intimate living together of members of two or more species. Signup and view all the answers

What is commensalism?

A type of symbiosis in which one member benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. Signup and view all the answers

What is mutualism?

Both members of the partnership benefit. Signup and view all the answers

What is Batesian mimicry?

Species that are harmless evolving to mimic harmful species. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Species and Populations

Species consist of organisms that can breed naturally and produce fertile offspring.
A population refers to all members of a specific species residing in a particular area simultaneously.

Biological Communities and Ecosystems

Biological communities encompass all interacting populations within a specific location.
Ecosystems comprise both biological communities and their physical environments, which include abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors.
Most ecosystems are open, allowing for the exchange of materials and organisms with adjacent ecosystems.

Producers and Productivity

Producers, such as green plants and algae, perform photosynthesis to generate energy.
Productivity measures the amount of biomass produced in an area over a specified time.
Primary productivity is driven by photosynthesis, while secondary productivity involves biomass creation by organisms consuming plants.

Food Chains and Food Webs

Food chains represent a linked feeding sequence within an ecosystem.
Food webs consist of interconnected food chains, illustrating the complex feeding relationships among various organisms.

Trophic Levels and Consumers

Trophic levels indicate an organism’s position in the feeding hierarchy of an ecosystem.
Consumers digest energy harnessed by producers and are classified into primary (plant eaters), secondary (eat primary consumers), and tertiary (top predators).
Herbivores consume plants, carnivores eat meat, and omnivores feed on both plants and animals.

Ecological Concepts

Biomass refers to biological material produced within an ecosystem.
Scavengers clear decomposing remains of larger organisms, while detritivores consume dead organic material, litter, and dung.
Energy decreases as it moves up the ecological pyramid, with only 10% of energy passed to the next level.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Important cycles include the hydrologic, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles, essential for ecosystem function.

Environmental and Community Dynamics

Tolerance limits determine the distribution of species, defined by minimum and maximum environmental factor levels.
Environmental indicators, often bioindicators, provide insights into ecological changes.
Resource partitioning occurs when two species compete for the same resource, resulting in one species prevailing.

Evolutionary Interactions

Convergent evolution describes how unrelated species evolve similar traits.
Predators target weaker members of prey populations, while coevolution highlights the reciprocal pressures species exert on each other.
Parasites derive nutrients from hosts without causing death, while pathogens lead to disease.

Symbiotic Relationships

Symbiosis encompasses intimate relationships between different species.
Commensalism benefits one organism without affecting the other; mutualism provides benefits to both partners.
Batesian mimicry occurs when harmless species evolve traits resembling unpalatable or harmful species for protection.

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Description

This quiz features flashcards on key terms related to biological communities, including definitions of species, population, and biological community. Test your knowledge and understanding of how these concepts interact within ecosystems.