Environmental Systems: Hierarchy and Elements

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Questions and Answers

What is the fundamental principle of the law of conservation of mass?

Matter can be created or destroyed, but its mass remains constant.

Matter is constantly being created, but its total mass remains constant.

Matter is neither created nor destroyed, but can be transformed. (correct)

Matter can only be destroyed, not created, and its mass decreases over time.

What is the primary function of tissues in a living organism?

To produce energy for the organism

To regulate the organism's response to stimuli

To provide structural support to the organism

To carry out specific functions in the organism's body (correct)

What is the term for a group of organs that work together to perform a certain function in an organism's body?

Cellular system

Tissue system

Organ system (correct)

Organismal system

What is the ultimate source of energy for nearly all living organisms?

The sun Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the worldwide sum of all ecosystems?

Biosphere Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the process by which energy is 'trapped' into the system?

Photosynthesis Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a group of closely associated, similar cells that work together to carry out specific functions?

Tissue Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for all organisms of the same kind that are genetically similar enough to breed in nature and produce live, fertile offspring?

Species Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of decomposers in an ecosystem?

To break down organic matter and recycle nutrients Signup and view all the answers

Which type of consumer is characterized by eating both plants and animals?

Omnivore Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives?

Habitat Signup and view all the answers

Which type of ecological interaction involves one organism benefiting while the other is neither benefited nor harmed?

Commensalism Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another?

Food chain Signup and view all the answers

Which type of consumer is characterized by eating dead carcasses of larger animals?

Scavenger Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the branch of biology that deals with the components and structure of ecosystems as well as the interactions between species in an ecosystem?

Ecology Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the role played by a species in a biological community and the total set of environmental factors that determine a species' distribution?

Ecological niche Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Hierarchy of Organization

The world can be viewed as a complex system, with a hierarchy ranging from the smallest unit to the largest.
Interactions between different organisms are crucial in this system.

Elements of Life

Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space, and it is neither created nor destroyed, but can be transformed.
Atoms, compounds, and molecules are the building blocks of life.
Macromolecules, such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, are essential for life.

Organization of Living Organisms

The cell is the basic unit of life, and all living organisms are composed of cells.
Cells are grouped into tissues, which are grouped into organs, and then into organ systems.
An organism (species) is an individual entity that embodies the properties of life.
A population consists of all members of a species living in a given area at the same time.

Organization of Living Organisms (continued)

A community is composed of populations of different species in a particular area.
An ecosystem is made up of a biological community and its physical environment.
The biosphere is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems.

Energy Flow

Producers (autotrophs) transform light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
Energy flows from producers to consumers, with decreasing energy at each level.
Food chains show the linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass.
Food webs are complex networks of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.

Energy Flow (continued)

Consumers can be herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, scavengers, detritivores, or decomposers, each with a different role in energy flow.
Decomposers play a crucial role in recycling organic materials.

Ecology

Ecology is the branch of biology that deals with components and structure of ecosystems, as well as interactions between species in an ecosystem.
Habitat describes the environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.
Ecological niche describes both the role played by a species in a biological community and the total set of environmental factors that determine a species' distribution.

Ecological Interactions

Competition occurs when organisms compete for limited resources.
Predation is a relationship where one organism feeds directly on another living organism.
Symbiosis refers to intimate relations among species, including mutualism (both organisms benefit) and commensalism (one organism benefits, the other is unaffected).

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Description

This quiz covers the basics of environmental systems, including the hierarchy of organization and the elements of life. It explores the concept of matter, the law of conservation of mass, and the building blocks of life such as atoms, compounds, and molecules.