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Questions and Answers
What is the primary cause of global warming?
What is the primary cause of global warming?
Which process is NOT a stage of the water cycle?
Which process is NOT a stage of the water cycle?
Which of the following is a significant threat to biodiversity?
Which of the following is a significant threat to biodiversity?
What role do invasive species play in ecosystems?
What role do invasive species play in ecosystems?
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How does water vapor enter the atmosphere?
How does water vapor enter the atmosphere?
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What gas is used by plants during photosynthesis?
What gas is used by plants during photosynthesis?
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What effect does ozone depletion have on human health?
What effect does ozone depletion have on human health?
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What are the two main purposes of plants in the carbon cycle?
What are the two main purposes of plants in the carbon cycle?
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What is the primary role of primary producers in an ecosystem?
What is the primary role of primary producers in an ecosystem?
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Which of the following statements about niches is accurate?
Which of the following statements about niches is accurate?
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What is a characteristic of parasitism?
What is a characteristic of parasitism?
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Which process occurs faster than primary succession due to the existence of soil?
Which process occurs faster than primary succession due to the existence of soil?
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What defines the carrying capacity of an environment?
What defines the carrying capacity of an environment?
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Which of the following best describes mutualism?
Which of the following best describes mutualism?
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Which of the following is considered a renewable resource?
Which of the following is considered a renewable resource?
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What are the major forms of air pollution mentioned?
What are the major forms of air pollution mentioned?
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Which of the following best describes a community?
Which of the following best describes a community?
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How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
How does energy flow through an ecosystem?
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What is the purpose of an ecological pyramid?
What is the purpose of an ecological pyramid?
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Which of the following is NOT an abiotic component of an ecosystem?
Which of the following is NOT an abiotic component of an ecosystem?
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Which of the following statements about decomposers is true?
Which of the following statements about decomposers is true?
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Which of the following organisms falls under the category of consumers?
Which of the following organisms falls under the category of consumers?
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What differentiates a food web from a food chain?
What differentiates a food web from a food chain?
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What is the first step in the nitrogen cycle?
What is the first step in the nitrogen cycle?
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What role do decomposers play in the nitrogen cycle?
What role do decomposers play in the nitrogen cycle?
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Which concept describes differences among individuals of a species that is crucial for evolution?
Which concept describes differences among individuals of a species that is crucial for evolution?
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What was a significant weakness of Darwin's theory of evolution?
What was a significant weakness of Darwin's theory of evolution?
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How does natural selection operate according to Darwin's theory?
How does natural selection operate according to Darwin's theory?
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Which process describes the selective breeding conducted by humans?
Which process describes the selective breeding conducted by humans?
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What key idea explains the competition for resources among organisms?
What key idea explains the competition for resources among organisms?
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What is the definition of fitness in the context of evolution?
What is the definition of fitness in the context of evolution?
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What is the primary purpose of adaptation in organisms?
What is the primary purpose of adaptation in organisms?
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Which of the following statements is true about vestigial structures?
Which of the following statements is true about vestigial structures?
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Which type of speciation occurs when two populations are separated by a geographical barrier?
Which type of speciation occurs when two populations are separated by a geographical barrier?
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What does temporal isolation refer to?
What does temporal isolation refer to?
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Which of the following best describes homologous structures?
Which of the following best describes homologous structures?
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What is the significance of diverging evolution, also known as adaptive radiation?
What is the significance of diverging evolution, also known as adaptive radiation?
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Which type of isolation prevents mating due to physical differences?
Which type of isolation prevents mating due to physical differences?
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What is the role of the fossil record in understanding evolution?
What is the role of the fossil record in understanding evolution?
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Study Notes
Ecology - Midterm Review
- Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among and between organisms and their physical environment.
- Levels of organization:
- Individual organism
- Population (group of individuals of the same species)
- Community (assemblage of different populations)
- Ecosystem (organisms and their physical environment)
- Biome (group of ecosystems)
- Biosphere (entire planet)
- Population: A group of individuals belonging to the same species in the same area.
- Community: An assemblage of different populations living together in a defined area.
- Ecosystem: All organisms living in a place, along with their physical environment.
- Biome: A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms.
- Biosphere: The entire planet with all organisms and physical environments.
- Biotic factors: Living things (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi).
- Abiotic factors: Non-living things (sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity, wind, soil type).
- Primary producers (autotrophs): Organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis (plants, algae).
- Consumers (heterotrophs): Organisms that rely on other organisms for energy and nutrients (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, scavengers, decomposers).
- Carnivores: Kill and eat other animals (snakes, dogs, cats).
- Scavengers: Consume carcasses of dead animals (vultures).
- Decomposers: Break down dead organisms (bacteria, fungi).
- Energy flow: Energy flows through an ecosystem in a one-way stream from producers to consumers.
- Food chain: A series of steps where organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten (producers → herbivores → carnivores).
- Food web: A complex network of interconnected food chains.
- Ecological pyramids: Show the relative amount of energy or matter at each trophic level.
Ecosystem Processes
- Competition: Species compete for resources; competition shapes communities by causing species to divide resources and determine the number and kinds of species. Organisms can share the same habitat but not the same niche.
- Predator-prey relationships: Predator captures and feeds on prey.
- Symbiosis: Close relationship between two species, including parasitism (+/-), mutualism (+/+), and commensalism (+/0).
- Parasitism (+/-): One organism benefits and the other is harmed. (e.g., tapeworms)
- Mutualism (+/+): Both organisms benefit.
- Commensalism (+/0): One organism benefits, while the other is neither harmed nor helped.
- Ecological succession: a series of more-or-less predictable changes that occur in a community over time. - Primary succession: Succession in an area with no remnants of a previous community (e.g., volcanic explosions). - Secondary succession: Succession in an existing community that has been disturbed (e.g., wildfire).
- Carrying capacity: The number of organisms that the environment can support. Limiting factors determine carrying capacity.
Biodiversity and Environmental Concerns
- Biodiversity: The total of all genetically-based variation in organisms.
- Threats to biodiversity: Altering habitats, hunting, introducing invasive species, pollution.
- Conservation efforts: Protecting individual species, preserving habitats and ecosystems.
- Renewable resources: Naturally replaceable resources (e.g., water).
- Non-renewable resources: Resources not naturally replaceable (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas).
- Air pollution: Smog, acid rain, greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide), particulates.
- Acid rain: Forms from air pollutants reacting with water in the atmosphere.
- Greenhouse gases: Gases that contribute to global warming.
- Ozone depletion: Exposes humans to more UV radiation, increasing the chances of skin cancer.
- Global warming: Caused by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (e.g. , burning fossil fuels, deforestation).
- Water cycle: Water continuously moves between oceans, atmosphere, and land. (Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, accumulation, run-off)
- Nutrient cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus): Processes by which nutrients are recycled and used by different organisms.
Evolution
- Evolution: Change in species over time; process by which organisms have descended.
- Natural selection: The process by which organisms with traits best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce and pass those traits to offspring.
- Natural variation: Differences among individuals within a species.
- Speciation: The formation of new species.
- Allopatric speciation: Populations evolve into separate species because of geographical isolation.
- Sympatric speciation: Populations evolve into separate species without geographic isolation.
- Parapatric speciation: Formation of new species within the same geographic area.
- Divergent evolution (adaptive radiation): Species become more different.
- Convergent evolution: Different species evolve in similar ways because of similar selective pressures.
- Coevolution: Two or more species evolve in response to each other.
- Punctuated equilibrium: Long periods of no change in a species followed by short periods of rapid change.
- Gradualism: Species slowly evolve over long periods of time.
- Homologous structures: Structures that are similar because of common ancestry.
- Vestigial structures: Structures that have lost most or all of their original function.
- Adaptation: Characteristics that help an organism survive in its environment.
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Description
Prepare for your ecology midterm with this comprehensive review quiz. The quiz covers key concepts such as levels of organization, biotic and abiotic factors, and the different components of ecosystems. Test your understanding of the interactions between organisms and their environments.
