Intro to Ecology
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Questions and Answers

What is the term for the typical weather pattern of an area over time?

  • Ecosystem
  • Climate (correct)
  • Atmosphere
  • Weather

    • What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

  • To break down complex organic compounds into simpler nutrients (correct)
  • To compete with producers for resources
  • To regulate the population of consumers
  • To produce complex organic compounds

    • What is the term for the region of Earth that supports life?

  • Community
  • Biosphere (correct)
  • Population
  • Ecosystem

    • What is the term for the study of organisms and their interactions with the environment?

    <p>Ecology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the living parts of the environment?

    <p>Biotic factors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the maximum number of organisms that can be supported by an ecosystem?

    <p>Carrying capacity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for a large group of similar ecosystems containing certain organisms?

    <p>Biome</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the interaction between two species?

    <p>Symbiosis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of interaction occurs when one species lives in close association with another species over a period of time?

    <p>Symbiosis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of growth is characterized by unlimited resource availability and exponential increase in population?

    <p>Exponential growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the maximum population size that can be supported by environmental resources?

    <p>Carrying capacity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of interaction occurs when one species benefits and the other is harmed or killed?

    <p>Parasitism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of limitation affects all populations in the same way?

    <p>Density-independent limitation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for a species that serves as food for another species?

    <p>Prey</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the type of interaction where one species benefits and the other is not harmed or helped?

    <p>Commensalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the rapid growth of a population followed by a plateau?

    <p>S-shaped curve</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary distinction between a population and a community?

    <p>A population is a single species, while a community is a group of multiple species.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of limiting factor will limit population size even if the population is already low?

    <p>Density-independent factor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a density-independent limiting factor?

    <p>Tornado</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do organisms compete for, according to the principles of ecology?

    <p>Food, water, space, and mates</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result when the birth rate and death rate of a population become roughly equal?

    <p>The population plateaus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of succession occurs in a place that already has soil and was once the home of living organisms?

    <p>Secondary succession</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of primary succession?

    <p>On the sides of a volcano</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of mutualism, a type of symbiosis?

    <p>A clownfish and a sea anemone</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the brightest star in the night sky?

    <p>Sirius</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the color of the coolest stars in the sky?

    <p>Red</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is another name for Polaris?

    <p>The North Star</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the distance light travels in one year called?

    <p>Light year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines the color of a star?

    <p>Surface temperature</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of star will the Sun become after it exhausts its fuel?

    <p>White dwarf</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process by which stars produce their energy?

    <p>Fusion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the stage of the sun's life cycle after it exhausts its hydrogen fuel?

    <p>Red giant</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the brightness of a star as it appears to an observer on Earth?

    <p>Apparent magnitude</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for a star that is extremely dense and has a strong gravitational pull?

    <p>Black hole</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the dark, cooler areas on the Sun's surface?

    <p>Sunspots</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the largest group of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity?

    <p>Galaxy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the measure of the distance between stars?

    <p>Light year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the diagram that shows the life cycle of stars?

    <p>Hertzsprung-Russell diagram</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason Saturn can float on water?

    <p>Its density is less than one</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main cause of the runaway greenhouse effect on Venus?

    <p>Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the largest mountain in the solar system located on?

    <p>Mars</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How long does it take the Earth to complete one rotation on its axis?

    <p>24 hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What occurs when a planet or moon's shadow falls on another?

    <p>Eclipse</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the highest point of the Sun above the equator in a year?

    <p>Summer solstice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why does the Earth have seasons?

    <p>Because of its tilt on its axis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the difference between absolute and apparent magnitude of a star?

    <p>Absolute magnitude is the actual brightness, and apparent magnitude is the brightness from Earth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the type of energy transfer where a heated substance flows?

    <p>Convection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the layer of the atmosphere that gets warmer as you go up?

    <p>Thermosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of cloud is characterized by feathery or wispy shapes?

    <p>Cirrus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to air as it rises in the atmosphere?

    <p>It gets cooler and less dense</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the point at which air cools enough to form dew or frost?

    <p>Dew point</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of front is characterized by fast moving, strong storms and high winds?

    <p>Cold Front</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when air cools to its dew point?

    <p>It forms dew or frost</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the flow of a heated substance in the atmosphere?

    <p>Convection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of energy transfer occurs when hot air rises and cold air sinks?

    <p>Convection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main factor that determines the climate of an area at higher latitudes?

    <p>Latitude</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of cloud is associated with heavy rain, hail, and strong winds?

    <p>Cumulonimbus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer?

    <p>Stratosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of conditions can be found on the windward side of a mountain range?

    <p>Cooler and wetter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary source of energy for hurricanes?

    <p>Warm water</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of heavy vegetation on the climate of an area?

    <p>It makes the area more humid</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the wind system that blows from the sea to the land during the day?

    <p>Sea breeze</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do warmer winds from the south bring to an area?

    <p>Warmer temperatures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the type of severe weather that is characterized by twisting grey funnels of wind extending from a cloud?

    <p>Tornado</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main reason why the Earth has seasons?

    <p>The tilt of the Earth's axis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the energy transfer that occurs when you walk on a hot beach?

    <p>Conduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of the combination of the Earth's tilt and its orbit around the sun?

    <p>The Earth receives both direct and indirect radiation throughout the year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the type of oxygen molecule that contains three oxygen atoms?

    <p>Ozone</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the common misconception about the reason for the Earth's seasons?

    <p>The Earth's distance from the sun</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of a body of water on the climate of an area?

    <p>It makes the area warmer in winter and cooler in summer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer?

    <p>Stratosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of oxygen molecule contains three oxygen atoms?

    <p>Ozone Molecule</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the energy transfer by waves or rays?

    <p>Radiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the energy transfer when hot air rises and cold air sinks?

    <p>Convection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the change from a vapor to a liquid?

    <p>Condensation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the change from a liquid to a vapor?

    <p>Evaporation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of cloud is associated with severe weather such as heavy rain and strong winds?

    <p>Cumulonimbus Cloud</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the wind system over North America?

    <p>Jet Stream</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere?

    <p>Nitrogen</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of the ozone layer?

    <p>To absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What protects living things from too much ultraviolet radiation?

    <p>The ozone layer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to air molecules when air is warmed?

    <p>They move apart and become less dense</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process by which water vapor in the atmosphere cools and changes to liquid form?

    <p>Condensation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which layer of the atmosphere contains most of the mass, where humans live, and contains most of the water vapor and gases?

    <p>Troposphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes air pressure to decrease in a certain area?

    <p>Fewer molecules in the same space</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the energy transferred in rays or waves through empty space?

    <p>Radiation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the effect that causes moving air and water to change direction to the right north of the equator and left south of the equator?

    <p>Coriolis effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of winds blow in tropical regions between the equator and 30° Latitude?

    <p>Trade winds</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the movement of heat by the flow of a material or fluid?

    <p>Convection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the rotation of the Earth that causes moving air and water to change direction to the right north of the equator and left south of the equator?

    <p>Coriolis effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of the rotation of the Earth on moving air and water?

    <p>They change direction to the right north of the equator and left south of the equator</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to air as it rises in the atmosphere?

    <p>It gets warmer and less dense</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are there little or no clouds in the stratosphere?

    <p>Because very little moisture ever makes it all the way up to the stratosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the thin layer of air that protects the Earth's surface from extreme temperatures and harmful Sun rays?

    <p>Ozone layer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Ecology

    • Ecology is the study of organisms and their interactions with the environment.

    Biomes and Biosphere

    • Biomes are large groups of similar ecosystems containing certain organisms.
    • The biosphere is the region of Earth that supports life.

    Ecosystem Structure

    • Ecosystems consist of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components.
    • Examples of ecosystems include forests, deserts, oceans, lakes, and backyard gardens.
    • Decomposers break down complex organic compounds into simpler nutrients that can be used by producers as food.

    Populations and Communities

    • A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in a specific area.
    • A community is a group of many populations of different species that live and interact in one environment.

    Interactions

    • Symbiosis is the type of interaction that takes place when one species lives in close association with another species over a period of time.
    • Examples of symbiosis include mutualism (both benefit), commensalism (one benefits, the other is not affected), and parasitism (one benefits, the other is harmed).
    • Predation is an interaction in which one species feeds on another.

    Succession

    • Primary succession begins in a place without any soil, such as the sides of volcanoes, landslides, or flooding.
    • Secondary succession begins in a place that already has soil and was once the home of living organisms, such as after forest fires.

    Limiting Factors

    • Density-dependent limiting factors affect population growth only when the population is high.
    • Density-independent limiting factors affect population growth regardless of the population size.
    • Examples of density-dependent limiting factors include space, disease, and food, while examples of density-independent limiting factors include weather, human activities, and natural disasters.

    Population Growth

    • The growth rate of a population is determined by the combined effects of birth rate, death rate, immigration, and emigration.
    • When the birth rate and death rate of a population become roughly equal, the population plateaus (levels out).
    • Organisms compete for resources such as food, water, space, and mates.

    Stars and Stellar Life Cycle

    • Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky due to its apparent magnitude.
    • The coolest stars appear red in color.
    • Polaris is also known as the North Star.
    • Binary stars are two stars orbiting each other.
    • A light year is the distance light travels in one year.
    • A star's color is determined by its surface temperature.

    Stellar Evolution

    • The life cycle of a star: Nebula → Main Sequence → Giant → Supergiant → Supernova → Planetary Nebula → White Dwarf/Neutron Star/Black Hole
    • Fusion is the process by which stars produce energy, combining light elements into heavier elements to produce heat and light.
    • The Sun will ultimately form a white dwarf after the outer layers are blown off at the end of its life.

    The Sun

    • The Sun is a G-type star.
    • The Sun's average distance from Earth is 93 million miles.
    • The Sun's energy production occurs through fusion, combining hydrogen into helium.
    • The Sun's core will eventually run out of hydrogen, causing it to become a red giant and then a white dwarf.

    Sun's Features

    • Granulation: the Sun's surface texture
    • Prominence: huge arching columns of gas
    • Solar flare: a sudden release of energy on the Sun's surface
    • Sunspot: a cooler area on the Sun's surface
    • Solar wind: a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun

    Other Celestial Bodies

    • A galaxy is a large group of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity.
    • Light years can be used to measure the relative distances to nearby stars.
    • Absolute magnitude measures a star's actual brightness, while apparent magnitude measures its brightness from Earth.

    Planets

    • Earth is the only known planet to support life.
    • Venus has a runaway greenhouse effect due to its atmosphere's high carbon dioxide levels.
    • Mars has the largest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons.

    Earth's Motions

    • Rotation: the spinning of an object (Earth) on its axis, taking 24 hours to complete.
    • Revolution: the movement of a planet (Earth) around the Sun, taking 365 days to complete.
    • Ellipse: the oval shape of Earth's orbit around the Sun.
    • Eclipse: the shadow of a planet or moon falling on another celestial body.

    Moon and Seasons

    • Solstices: the days with the lowest (winter) and highest (summer) sun angles above the equator.
    • The phases of the moon change as it orbits the Earth.
    • The far side of the moon is not always dark, as it experiences day and night like Earth.

    Heat Transfer

    • Convection: the flow of a heated substance (e.g., warm air rising).
    • Conduction: the movement of heat through direct contact (e.g., walking on hot sand).
    • Radiation: heat transfer through open space (e.g., feeling the warmth of the sun).

    Climate Controls

    • Latitude: Higher latitudes are colder, with the poles being cold and the equator being warm.
    • Elevation: The higher the elevation, the colder it gets.
    • Topography: Mountain ranges have cooler and wetter conditions on the windward side and warmer and drier conditions on the leeward side.
    • Bodies of Water: Water moderates temperatures, resulting in warmer winters and cooler summers.
    • Circulation in the Atmosphere (Global Winds): Global winds bring humidity and temperatures with them, where winds from the north bring cooler air, from the south bring warmer air, from the ocean bring humid air, and from continents bring dry air.
    • Vegetation: Heavy vegetation can make it more humid.

    Characteristics of Climate

    • The two main characteristics of an area's climate are temperature and precipitation.

    Seasons

    • The tilt of Earth's axis (23½°) and its revolution (orbit) around the sun cause Earth to receive both direct and indirect radiation throughout the year, resulting in seasons.
    • A common misconception is that seasons are caused by the Earth being closer in summer and farther in winter, which is false.

    Weather Phenomena

    • Doldrums: Low pressure and low wind along the equator.
    • Jet Stream: Narrow belts of strong winds located in the upper troposphere.
    • Sea Breeze: A convection current that blows wind from the cooler sea toward warmer land during the day.
    • Land Breeze: At night, air moves toward the water as land cools more rapidly than water.

    Severe Weather

    • Hurricane: Needs warm water to provide energy.
    • Tornado: Twisting grey funnels of wind extending from a cloud.
    • Blizzard: A huge snowstorm.
    • Thunderstorm: CHARACTERIZED by intense lightning and loud noise.

    Atmosphere Vocabulary

    • Convection: Energy transfer when hot air rises and cold air sinks.
    • Condensation: Change from a vapor to a liquid.
    • Conduction: How energy is transferred to your feet from a hot beach.
    • Evaporation: Change from a liquid to a vapor.
    • Infiltration: Not mentioned.
    • Ozone: A layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer.
    • Precipitation: Formation of water droplets in the atmosphere.
    • Radiation: Energy transfer by waves or rays.
    • Stratosphere: A layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer.

    Layers of the Atmosphere

    • Thermosphere: Gets warmer, topmost layer.
    • Mesosphere: Gets colder, above the stratosphere.
    • Stratosphere: Gets warmer, above the troposphere.
    • Troposphere: Gets colder, lowest layer.

    Clouds

    • Cumulous: Look like fluffy cotton balls with flat bases.
    • Stratus: Flat, low layered clouds.
    • Cirrus: High altitude icy clouds that look feathery or wispy.
    • Nimbus: Dark rain cloud.

    Air Rise and Cloud Formation

    • Heated air expands and becomes less dense, causing it to rise.
    • As it rises, it cools, and if it cools enough, it can reach the dew point and form a cloud, and even precipitation.

    Dew Formation

    • Air cools down to the dew point, causing condensation (dew) to form on surfaces.
    • The cold glass causes the air just outside the glass to reach the dew point, forming droplets on the outside of a cold glass.

    Fronts

    • Cold Front: Fast moving, can produce stronger storms with higher winds, maybe hail.
    • Warm Front: Slower moving, slow steady precipitation for a day or so.
    • Occluded Front: Possibly slow steady precipitation.
    • Stationary Front: Possibly slow steady precipitation for a few days or more.

    Energy Transfer

    • Convection: The flow of a heated substance.
    • Conduction: How energy is transferred to your feet from a hot beach.
    • Radiation: Energy transfer by waves or rays.

    Atmospheric Processes

    • Conduction: the movement of heat by touch, e.g., walking on hot sand
    • Radiation: heat moving through open space, e.g., warmth of the sun on your face
    • Convection: the transfer of heat by the flow of a material/fluid, e.g., warm air rising and cooler air sliding in to take its place

    Atmospheric Pressure

    • The force that air molecules exert on a surface
    • Atmospheric pressure at the top of Earth's atmosphere is less dense than at the bottom due to less atmosphere above pushing down

    Land and Sea Breezes

    • Land breeze: a convection current that blows wind from the cooler sea toward warmer land during the day
    • Sea breeze: a convection current that blows wind from the land toward the water at night, as land cools more rapidly than water

    Water Cycle

    • Energy from the sun evaporates water
    • Water vapor rises and cools
    • Cooled water vapor condenses
    • Clouds form
    • Water falls to the earth as precipitation

    Wind and Pressure

    • Wind forms when air in an area of high pressure moves to an area of lower pressure
    • Coriolis effect: the rotation of the Earth causes moving air and water to change direction to the right north of the equator and left south of the equator
    • Trade winds: steady winds that blow in tropical regions between the equator and 30° Latitude (north and south)

    Ozone and Atmospheric Layers

    • Ozone: a thin layer of air that protects the Earth's surface from extreme temperatures and harmful sun rays
    • Troposphere: the lowest layer of the atmosphere, containing most of the mass, where humans live, and most of the water vapor and gases
    • Stratosphere: the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer

    Severe Weather

    • Tornado: twisting grey funnels of wind extending from a cloud
    • Hurricane: a huge storm that needs warm water to provide energy
    • Blizzard: a huge snowstorm
    • Thunderstorm: intense lightning and loud noise are also present

    Atmospheric Vocabulary

    • Condensation: the change from a vapor to a liquid
    • Convection: the transfer of heat by the flow of a material/fluid
    • Ozone: a type of oxygen molecule containing three oxygen atoms
    • Stratosphere: the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
    • Radiation: energy transfer by waves or rays

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