Ecology and Population Dynamics

Population Growth

• Populations can increase due to immigration, abundant food/space, and fewer predators.
• Invasive species are non-native species causing ecological problems.
• Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals an environment can support.
• Carrying capacity occurs during phase III of a population graph.
• Limiting factors include predation, emigration, competition, natural disasters, and human activity.

Predator-Prey Relationships

• Predator populations increasing leads to prey populations decreasing, and vice versa.
• Keystone species are crucial to an ecosystem, affecting many other species. Examples include sea otters and Yellowstone gray wolves.

Trophic Cascades

• Removing a keystone species drastically alters the ecosystem. For example, removing gray wolves led to an elk population increase and a subsequent decline in plant populations.

Carbon Cycle

• Four ways carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere are respiration, decomposition, volcanic eruptions, and burning fossil fuels.
• Photosynthesis is the primary use of carbon dioxide.
• Too much carbon dioxide causes the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming.

Nitrogen Cycle

• Only bacteria can convert atmospheric nitrogen to gas form.
• Nitrogen is essential for making proteins.
• Free nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted to usable nitrogen compounds through processes like nitrogen fixation (bacteria) and denitrification (bacteria).
• Nitrogen compounds are found in nitrates, and used by plants as a nutrient.
• Consumers obtain nitrogen by eating plants or other organisms.

Phosphorus Cycle

• Phosphate is added to the soil through erosion and weathering.
• The phosphorus cycle doesn't involve the atmosphere as a phase.

Explore the concepts of population growth, predator-prey relationships, and trophic cascades in this ecology quiz. Understand how these dynamics influence ecosystem stability and species interactions. Test your knowledge on carrying capacity and the carbon cycle as well.