Ecology- SAQs.docx

**[Questions]** 1. Define ecology. The study of how living things interact with each other and to their environment. 2. What is the environment? Refers to all of the conditions that affect organism growth and development. 3. Define biotic factors and give an example. Refer to living factors...

**[Questions]** 1. Define ecology. The study of how living things interact with each other and to their environment. 2. What is the environment? Refers to all of the conditions that affect organism growth and development. 3. Define biotic factors and give an example. Refer to living factors. Predation 4. Define abiotic factors and give an example. Refers to non-living factors. Light intensity. 5. Define edaphic factors and give an example. Refers to factors relating to soil. Soil pH. 6. Define aquatic factors and give an example. Refers to water factors. Water temperature 7. What is the biosphere? The pat of the planet where life exists 8. What is an ecosystem? A community of organisms and their interactions with each other and the environment. 9. What is a community? All of the organisms living in a habitat. 10. What is a habitat? A place where an organism lives and is adapted to. 11. Define population. All of the members of the same species living in an area. 12. Define species. A group of similar organisms capable of reproducing to produce fertile offspring. 13. Define Niche. The niche is the functional role of an organism played in an ecosystem. 14. Define conservation. The wise management and protection of resources to maintain biodiversity and the environment 15. Define pollution. Any harmful addition to the environment or habitat. 16. Define pollutant. Any chemical capable of causing harm in the environment. 17. Name two ways to practice waste minimization. Reducing the amount of products bought. Recycling. 18. What is a producer? An organism capable of producing its own food i.e. grass 19. What is a consumer? AN organism that relies on other organisms as a source of food i.e. rabbit 20. What is a trophic level? A feeding level within a food chain. 21. What is a food chain? A sequence of organisms showing energy transfer from one to the next. 22. What is a food web? Two or more interlinked food chains. 23. What is a pyramid of numbers? Is used to represent the number of organisms present at a specific trophic level. 24. Name an advantage of a pyramid of numbers? Represents the numbers of organisms at each trophic level. 25. Name a disadvantage of a pyramid of numbers? The size of an organism is hard to represent in a pyramid of numbers. 26. Name two factors that affect the human population. War and disease 27. Define contest competition. The fight between two organisms with one winner getting the resource (i.e. a mate). 28. Define scramble competition. Competition arises for a resource and all organisms get some of the resource (light after a tree falls). 29. Define predation. The act of killing another organism for food.  30. What is a predator? An animal that hunts, captures and kills other animals for food. 31. Define prey. The organisms that gets eaten or killed.  32. What is nitrogen fixation? The conversion of nitrogen gas into nitrates. 33. Where are nitrogen fixing bacteria found?  Nitrogen fixing bacteria are found free in the soil or in the roots of legumes. 34. What is nitrification? The conversion of ammonia compounds to nitrite and then nitrate.  35\. Draw a normal-shaped pyramid of numbers. A pyramid of different types of grass Description automatically generated 36\. Draw a distorted bottom pyramid of numbers  37\. Draw a distorted top pyramid of numbers. A diagram of a variety of insects Description automatically generated with medium confidence 38\. Draw an inverted pyramid of numbers.