Ecological Niche and Food Chains Quiz

Study Notes

An ecological niche describes a species' role in its ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, and how it behaves.
No two species can occupy the same exact niche.

Food chains describe the flow of energy as organisms feed on each other.
Producers get their energy from the sun.
Consumers get energy through different food sources, and can be further broken down based on what they eat (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, scavenger).
Examples: squirrels eat pine cones, weasels eat squirrels, goshawks eat weasels.
Energy is lost at each level of the food chain.

Ecological pyramids show the relationship between different trophic levels in an ecosystem.
There are three main types of ecological pyramids: Energy, Biomass, and Numbers Pyramids.
Energy pyramid: shows the initial amount of energy starts at the producer level and decreases at higher trophic levels.
Biomass pyramid: shows the amount of biomass (mass of living material) at each trophic level.
The base of each pyramid is typically wider than the top, reflecting that more organisms are found at the lower levels of a food web due to the loss of energy at each level.

Atmosphere: Blocks the sun's harmful rays.
Lithosphere: Earth's rocky outer layer.
Hydrosphere: All of Earth's water (solid, liquid, and gas).
Biosphere: Zone on Earth where life exists.
The biosphere depends on the interactions and energy flows between the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
The biosphere is a thin layer compared to the other spheres.
The Gaia hypothesis suggests Earth is like a living organism, where the different parts work together.

Terrestrial ecosystems are based on the climate in a region and vary across the globe.

Engineered ecosystems—human-made and maintained— cover much of Earth's land area.
Examples: farms, urban centers and roads.
Modern agriculture relies on monocultures (growing only one crop type) which require high maintenance by humans.
Monocultures lead to lower biodiversity and may create problems by allowing pests to thrive.
Importation of foods are often required.

Acid precipitation can harm aquatic life and ecosystems.
Impacts on the soil ecosystem causing weakened trees which expose them to damage and disease.
The economic impact is significant, as damage to forests and aquatic life decreases or harms the economy.