Ecology Basics Quiz

Study Notes

Study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
Examines the relationships between living organisms and their physical environment

Ecosystem: community of living and non-living components interacting in a specific environment
Community: group of different species living in a specific area
Population: group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area
Organism: individual living thing
Ecosystem Services: essential services provided by ecosystems, e.g. air and water purification, soil formation, climate regulation

Biodiversity: variety of species, genes, and ecosystems
Ecological Niche: the role and position of a species within its environment
Adaptation: characteristics that enable organisms to survive and reproduce in their environment
Energy Flow: transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next
Trophic Levels: levels of energy transfer in a food chain (producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc.)

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid): molecule containing genetic information
Genes: units of heredity that carry information from one generation to the next
Chromosomes: thread-like structures containing genes
Traits: characteristics of an organism, e.g. eye color, height
Genotype: genetic makeup of an organism
Phenotype: physical expression of an organism's genotype

Mendel's Laws: laws of inheritance, e.g. segregation, independent assortment
Dominance and Recessiveness: relationship between alleles (different forms of a gene)
Punnett Squares: diagrams used to predict offspring genotypes and phenotypes
Heritability: proportion of variation in a trait due to genetics

Ecology examines the interactions between organisms and their environment, including living and non-living components.

An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living components interacting in a specific environment.
A community consists of different species living in a specific area.
A population is a group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.
An organism is an individual living thing.
Ecosystem services include essential services like air and water purification, soil formation, and climate regulation.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of species, genes, and ecosystems.
An ecological niche is the role and position of a species within its environment.
Adaptation refers to characteristics that enable organisms to survive and reproduce in their environment.
Energy flow involves the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next in a food chain.
Trophic levels are the levels of energy transfer in a food chain, including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and more.

Genetics is the study of heredity, genes, and genetic variation, examining the transmission of traits from one generation to the next.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) is a molecule containing genetic information.
Genes are units of heredity that carry information from one generation to the next.
Chromosomes are thread-like structures containing genes.
Traits are characteristics of an organism, such as eye color or height.
Genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism, while phenotype is the physical expression of an organism's genotype.

Mendel's Laws are the laws of inheritance, including segregation and independent assortment.
Dominance and recessiveness describe the relationship between alleles (different forms of a gene).
Punnett Squares are diagrams used to predict offspring genotypes and phenotypes.
Heritability is the proportion of variation in a trait due to genetics.