All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is a biotic factor?
Answer: A living component of an ecosystem. Includes plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.
Flashcard 2: Identify an example of a keystone species.
Answer: Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems. They control sea urchin populations, protecting kelp.
Flashcard 3: Define carrying capacity.
Answer: The maximum population size an environment can sustain. Determined by available resources and environmental conditions.
Flashcard 4: What is an indicator species?
Answer: A species whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. Used to monitor ecosystem health and changes.
Flashcard 5: Define ecological succession.
Answer: The process of change in the species structure of an ecosystem over time. Can be primary or secondary depending on starting conditions.
Flashcard 6: What are primary consumers?
Answer: Herbivores that feed on producers. First-level consumers in the energy transfer chain.
Flashcard 7: What is a food web?
Answer: A complex network of feeding relationships in an ecosystem. More complex than simple linear food chains.
Flashcard 8: What is an abiotic factor?
Answer: A non-living component of an ecosystem. Includes temperature, water, sunlight, and soil.
Flashcard 9: Identify the process of energy transfer in ecosystems.
Answer: Energy flows through food chains via consumption. Energy decreases at each successive trophic level.
Flashcard 10: What is primary succession?
Answer: Succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists. Starts with pioneer species like lichens and mosses.
Flashcard 11: What are primary consumers?
Answer: Herbivores that feed on producers. First-level consumers in the energy transfer chain.
Flashcard 12: What is a biome?
Answer: A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region. Characterized by climate, flora, and fauna patterns.
Flashcard 13: Define biodiversity.
Answer: The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem. Measured at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.
Flashcard 14: Identify the main components of an ecosystem.
Answer: Biotic and abiotic factors. Living and non-living elements interact in ecosystems.
Flashcard 15: Define carrying capacity.
Answer: The maximum population size an environment can sustain. Determined by available resources and environmental conditions.
Flashcard 16: Identify an example of a keystone species.
Answer: Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems. They control sea urchin populations, protecting kelp.
Flashcard 17: What is an ecosystem?
Answer: A community of living organisms interacting with their environment. Includes both biotic and abiotic components working together.
Flashcard 18: What is the primary source of energy for ecosystems?
Answer: The Sun. Solar radiation provides energy for photosynthesis.
Flashcard 19: Define a keystone species.
Answer: A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend. Their removal causes significant ecosystem changes.
Flashcard 20: State the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Answer: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. First law of thermodynamics applied to ecosystems.
Flashcard 21: What is a food chain?
Answer: A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass. Shows direct feeding relationships between organisms.
Flashcard 22: Define a trophic level.
Answer: The position an organism occupies in a food chain. Levels include producers, primary, secondary consumers, etc.
Flashcard 23: Define biomass.
Answer: The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume. Measured in grams per square meter or similar units.
Flashcard 24: What is an ecological footprint?
Answer: The impact of a person or community on the environment, measured as land required to sustain their use of natural resources. Measures human demand on Earth's natural resources.
Flashcard 25: What is commensalism?
Answer: A relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected. Like barnacles on whales or birds on cattle.
Flashcard 26: What is the 10% rule in energy transfer?
Answer: Only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. Most energy is lost as heat during transfer.
Flashcard 27: What is an apex predator?
Answer: A predator at the top of a food chain, with no natural predators. Controls prey populations and ecosystem structure.
Flashcard 28: Define ecological succession.
Answer: The process of change in the species structure of an ecosystem over time. Can be primary or secondary depending on starting conditions.
Flashcard 29: What is an indicator species?
Answer: A species whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. Used to monitor ecosystem health and changes.
Flashcard 30: Identify the role of decomposers in nutrient cycling.
Answer: Decomposers recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem. Essential for maintaining ecosystem productivity.