Ecological Concepts Quiz

The biosphere is the regions of Earth occupied by living organisms.

The environment consists of all the living and non-living things on the Earth and how they interact with each other.

Ecology is the study of how living and non-living things on Earth interact with each other.

Abiotic factors are the non-living factors in an ecosystem. E.g., carbon dioxide, temperature, water, salt concentration.

Biotic factors are the living factors in an ecosystem. E.g., animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, algae.

Biodiversity is the number of different types of organisms in an area. High biodiversity is usually associated with healthy, sustainable environments.

Sustainability describes populations of plants, animals, and other living organisms can interact and reproduce indefinitely.

Species are a group of similar organisms that naturally interbreed.

A population is a group of members of the same species that live in the same area.

A community is the populations of different species that live and interact in an area.

Stewardship is taking care of something.

Ecosystems are the relationships between the organisms living in an environment and their interaction with the abiotic factors.

Biomes are a collection of ecosystems where the dominant form of plant is the same.

All healthy ecosystems have diverse structures. Each organism fills a specific role or niche.

Healthy ecosystems have 4 major nutrient cycles that allow nutrients to be taken up by organisms and then returned to the soil to be reused.

Energy is not cycled. Energy comes from the Sun and is moved through the ecosystem through the food chain.

The process of converting light energy from the sun into chemical energy.

The process of breaking down food to release energy.

The transfer of energy through an ecosystem, starting with producers and ending with decomposers.

An interconnected network of food chains in an ecosystem.

Organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis.

Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms.

Organisms that break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil.

A relationship between two organisms where both benefit.

A relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is harmed.

A relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.

The maximum population size an environment can support.

Any factor that limits the growth of a population.

A disturbance that changes an ecosystem, such as a fire, flood, or drought.

The ability of an ecosystem to resist change and return to its original state after a disturbance.