Post on 23-Dec-2015
transcript
Final Exam Review
Unit 3- Ecology
Environment
Every living and nonliving thing that surrounds an organism
Biotic Factors
• Living Factors• ex: plants, prey, predators,
bacteria, fungus
Abiotic Factors
• Nonliving Factors• ex: water, temperature,
sunlight, soil,
Population
A group of one species living in an area
CommunityAll of the different populations living in an area
EcosystemAll of the living and nonliving things and how
they interact in an area
BiomeGroup of ecosystems that have the same climate
and community
Habitat
Where an organism lives
Trophic Levels
AutotrophsOrganisms that produce
their own food for energy, photosynthesis
Ex: Producers: make their own food, through the process of photosynthesis, ex: plants, algae
HeterotrophsOrganisms that cannot produce their own food
for energy
Consumers: Organisms that eat/consume other organisms• Herbivore• Carnivore• Omnivore• Scavenger• Decomposer
Herbivoreeats plants, primary consumers, ex: deer, cow
Carnivoreeats meat/other consumers, ex: lion, tiger
Omnivore
eats both plants and animals, ex: humans, raccoons, bears
Scavengereats dead animals, ex: vultures
Decomposer
breaks down dead matter and recycles the nutrients back to the soil, ex: fungus, bacteria
Food Chainshows the flow of energy in an ecosystem,
simple
Food Web• many food
chains interconnected
• complex
Ecological Pyramids• Energy• Biomass• Numbers• decreases as you
move up the pyramid,
• producers are always the largest and on the bottom.
Biological Magnification
• The concentration of a toxin increases as is moves through the food chain, highest concentrations at the top of the food chain, ex:
• DDT in bald eagles
BiodiversityThe number of different species in an area, more
biodiversity=more stable
Niche
an organisms role/job in its environment, two species cannot occupy the same niche
Competitive Exclusion
When two organisms try to occupy the
same niche, they will compete. One will
stay in that niche and the other will either
die or have to occupy a different niche
The niche a species can ideally have, can be larger than the realized niche
Realized NicheThe niche a species actually occupies, can be smaller than the fundamental niche
Fundamental Niche
Niche Diversitythe number of different niches in an ecosystem due to abiotic factors• fluctuating abiotic factors many niches (desert)• constant abiotic factors=few niches (marsh)
Evolution
a slow gradual change in a species over time
Adaptation
A trait that an organism has that allows it to survive in a changing environment
Specialized species
• A species with a small niche, only one food source.
• Ex: koala bear and panda bear
Generalized species
• A species with a large niche, many food sources.
• Ex: mice, roaches
Convergent evolution
two species evolve separately to have similar traits because they have similar niches.
Coevolution
• When two species evolve to rely on each other for survival, mutualism
• ex: acacia tree and stinging ants
Predator-Prey
predator- the hunterprey-the hunted
Parasitismone organisms feeds off of another organism for survival, one species benefits, the other is harmed. Ex: tapeworm, malaria, ringworm– Host: The organism the parasite is feeding off of
Mutualism• two species rely on each other for survival,
both benefit• ex: Egyptian Plover and Nile Croccodile
CommensalismOne species benefits, the other isn’t harmed or
helped, ex: barnacles on a whale
Invasive SpeciesA non-native species that
causes harm to the environment
• Why are they dangerous? – They outcompete with
native species for essential resources
• How do they get here? – Accidental (in wood), boats
(mass transportation), intentional release (pets that get too big), tropical plants for garden
Endangered SpeciesA species that is close to extinction
Main reason for species endangerment? • Habitat destruction