Biology Chapter 2: Principles of Ecology Flashcards
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Questions and Answers

What is ecology?

  • The study of nonliving factors in an organism's environment.
  • The process of nitrogen fixation.
  • The scientific discipline studying relationships among living organisms and their environments. (correct)
  • A large group of ecosystems.

    • What is the biosphere?

    The portion of Earth that supports life.

    What are biotic factors?

    The living factors in an organism's environment.

    What are abiotic factors?

    <p>The nonliving factors in an organism's environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a population?

    <p>Individual organisms of a single species that share the same geographic location at the same time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a biological community?

    <p>A group of interacting populations that occupy the same geographic area at the same time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an ecosystem?

    <p>A biological community and all of the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a biome?

    <p>A large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a habitat?

    <p>Where an organism lives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a niche?

    <p>A role or position that an organism has in its environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is predation?

    <p>The act of one organism consuming another organism for food.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is symbiosis?

    <p>The close relationship that forms when two or more species live together.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is mutualism?

    <p>A relationship between two or more organisms that live closely together and benefit from each other.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is commensalism?

    <p>A relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither hurt nor helped.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is parasitism?

    <p>A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an autotroph?

    <p>An organism that collects energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce food.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a heterotroph?

    <p>An organism that gets its energy requirements from consuming other organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a herbivore?

    <p>A heterotroph that only eats plants.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a carnivore?

    <p>A heterotroph that preys on other heterotrophs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an omnivore?

    <p>A heterotroph that eats both plants and animals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a detritivore?

    <p>An organism that eats fragments of dead matter in an ecosystem and returns nutrients to the environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a trophic level?

    <p>Step in a food chain or web.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a food chain?

    <p>A simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a food web?

    <p>A model representing the many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy flows through a group of organisms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is biomass?

    <p>The total mass of living matter at a trophic level.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is matter?

    <p>Anything that has mass and takes up space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a nutrient?

    <p>A chemical substance that an organism must obtain from its environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a biogeochemical cycle?

    <p>The exchange of matter through the biosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is nitrogen fixation?

    <p>The process of capturing and converting nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is denitrification?

    <p>The conversion by bacteria of fixed nitrogen compounds to nitrogen gas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Key Concepts in Ecology

    • Ecology: Scientific study of relationships among living organisms and their interactions with the environment.
    • Biosphere: The global sum of all ecosystems; the part of Earth where life exists.

    Environmental Factors

    • Biotic Factors: Living components of the environment such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.
    • Abiotic Factors: Nonliving components including sunlight, water, soil, and temperature.

    Population and Community

    • Population: Group of individuals of a single species living in a specific area at the same time.
    • Biological Community: Interacting populations of different species that inhabit the same geographic area concurrently.

    Ecosystems and Biomes

    • Ecosystem: Includes a community of organisms and their physical environment, encompassing both biotic and abiotic factors.
    • Biome: A broader classification that encompasses large groups of ecosystems sharing similar climate and community structures.

    Organism Habitats and Roles

    • Habitat: Specific environment where an organism resides.
    • Niche: Unique role of an organism within its environment, including its behavior, habitat, and interactions.

    Interactions Between Organisms

    • Predation: One organism capturing and feeding on another for nutrition.
    • Symbiosis: Close biological relationship between two or more species, which can be mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic.
      • Mutualism: Both organisms benefit from the interaction.
      • Commensalism: One organism benefits while the other is unaffected.
      • Parasitism: One organism benefits at the expense of the other.

    Nutrition and Energy Flow

    • Autotroph: Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
    • Heterotroph: Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms.
      • Herbivore: Only eats plants.
      • Carnivore: Predominantly eats other animals.
      • Omnivore: Consumes both plants and animals.
      • Detritivore: Feeds on decomposing organic matter, facilitating nutrient recycling.

    Food Chains and Webs

    • Trophic Level: Position in a food chain or web, indicating the flow of energy.
    • Food Chain: Simple representation of how energy moves from one organism to another.
    • Food Web: Complex network of interconnected food chains illustrating energy flow among a variety of organisms.

    Matter and Nutrients

    • Biomass: Total mass of living matter at a particular trophic level.
    • Matter: Anything with mass and volume.
    • Nutrient: Essential chemical substances that organisms acquire from their environment for growth and survival.

    Biogeochemical Processes

    • Biogeochemical Cycle: Movement of matter through the biosphere, involving biological, geological, and chemical processes.
    • Nitrogen Fixation: Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into forms usable by plants, primarily facilitated by bacteria.
    • Denitrification: Process where fixed nitrogen compounds are converted back into nitrogen gas by certain bacteria.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge of key terms and concepts in Biology Chapter 2, focusing on the principles of ecology. This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary such as ecology, biosphere, biotic and abiotic factors, providing a comprehensive review for students. Perfect for exam preparation and reinforcing your understanding of ecological relationships.

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