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Questions and Answers
What is the definition of environment?
What is the definition of environment?
What is abiotic component of environment?
What is abiotic component of environment?
Who coined the term ecology?
Who coined the term ecology?
What is the highest level of organization in ecology?
What is the highest level of organization in ecology?
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What is an ecosystem?
What is an ecosystem?
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What is the term for the study of organisms and their environment?
What is the term for the study of organisms and their environment?
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What are the two main structural features of an ecosystem?
What are the two main structural features of an ecosystem?
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What is the term for a biological category that performs the same function in an ecosystem?
What is the term for a biological category that performs the same function in an ecosystem?
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What is the primary function of decomposers in an ecosystem?
What is the primary function of decomposers in an ecosystem?
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What is the main source of energy in an ecosystem?
What is the main source of energy in an ecosystem?
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What is the flow of energy in an ecosystem?
What is the flow of energy in an ecosystem?
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What is the term for the position occupied by an organism in a food chain?
What is the term for the position occupied by an organism in a food chain?
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Why do producers, such as green plants and algae, have the ability to synthesize glucose?
Why do producers, such as green plants and algae, have the ability to synthesize glucose?
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What happens to energy as it flows from one trophic level to the next?
What happens to energy as it flows from one trophic level to the next?
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What is the role of primary consumers in an ecosystem?
What is the role of primary consumers in an ecosystem?
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What is the term for the graphical representation of energy flow in an ecosystem?
What is the term for the graphical representation of energy flow in an ecosystem?
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Study Notes
Environment
- Environment refers to the surroundings or conditions in which an organism lives or operates.
- It includes both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components.
Components of Environment
- Abiotic factors: land, energy, water, climate, gases, winds, fire, gravity, and soil.
- Biotic components: living things in an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Ecology
- Ecology is the study of organisms and their environment, as well as how they interact with each other and their environment.
- The term was coined by German biologist Ernst Haeckel.
- Ecology studies the relationships of individual organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere.
Levels of Organization
- Individual: a single organism.
- Population: a group of individuals of the same species.
- Community: several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment.
- Ecosystem: a community and its abiotic factors.
- Biome: a region of the Earth with a specific climate and flora.
- Biosphere: the life-supporting portions of the Earth, comprising air, land, freshwater, and saltwater.
Ecosystem
- An ecosystem is a functional unit of nature where living organisms interact with each other and their environment.
- Structure and function of ecosystems: two main structural features are species composition and stratification (trophic structure).
- Each animal is present in a different trophic level.
Trophic Levels
- Producers (first trophic level): plants and algae that can synthesize glucose from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight.
- Consumers: organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms.
- Herbivores (primary consumers): second trophic level.
- Carnivores and omnivores: third trophic level.
- Decomposers: break down dead organic matter, producing energy that is returned to the atmosphere.
Energy Flow in Ecosystem
- Energy is the capacity to do work and is the basic force responsible for running all metabolic activities.
- Energy flow in an ecosystem is unidirectional, from producer to consumer level.
- The main source of energy in an ecosystem is sunlight.
- About 80% of energy is lost during the flow of energy from one trophic level to the next.
Food Chain in Ecosystem
- A food chain is the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another in succession.
- A tropic level can be defined as the number of links by which it is separated from the producer or as the position of the organism in the food chain.
- Energy is transferred from primary producers to various components of heterotrophs, maintaining biodiversity.
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Description
This quiz covers the basics of environment, including its definition, components, and the study of ecology. It includes both living and non-living components of an ecosystem.
