Biology Ch 3.1 What Is Ecology?

An assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area is called a _______

community

Interdependence is a noun that means _______

dependence between or among individuals or things

Biotic and abiotic factors are _____, meaning that they.....

dynamic constantly affect each other

Organisms in the biosphere interact with each other and with their surroundings, or environment. The study of these interactions is called _______

ecology

The Greek word oikos is also the root of the word _____

economics

All the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment, is known as an _______

ecosystem

Interactions within the biosphere produce a web of _________ between organisms and the environments in which they live

interdependence

The biosphere consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including....

land, water, and the atmosphere

As their common root implies, human economics and ecology are ______

linked

A biotic factor is any _____ part of the environment with which an organism might _______, including animals, plants, mushrooms, and bacteria

living interact

A forest around a pond also affects the humidity of air close to the ground. The roots of trees and other plants determines how much ____ is held in place and how much washes into the pond

soil

A ______ is a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

species

The biosphere extends from about _____ kilometers above Earth's surface to as far as _____ kilometers below the surface of the ocean

8 11

Taking a slightly wider view, the ____ conditions around the mucky shoreline are strongly influenced by _____

abiotic living organisms

Physical components of an ecosystem are called ______

abiotic factors

Physical components of an ecosystem are called ___________

abiotic factors

The difference between biotic and abiotic factors may seem to be clear and simple. But if you think carefully, you will realize that many physical factors can be strongly influenced by the _____ of organisms

activities

Biotic factors relating to a bullfrog, for example, might include _____ it eats as a tadpole, _____ it eats as an adult, _____ that eat bullfrogs, and other species that compete with bullfrogs for _____ or _____

algae insects herons food space

Humans live within the ______ and depend on ______ processes to provide such essentials as food and drinkable water that can be bought and sold or traded

biosphere ecological

The biosphere contains every organism, from ________ living underground to giant _____ in rain forests, ______ in polar seas, ______ drifting through the air- and, of course, _______

bacteria trees whales mold spores humans

The prefix inter means __________

between or among

A ______ is a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

biome

Our entire planet, with all its organisms and physical environments, is known as the _______

biosphere

When biologists want to talk about life on a global scale, they use the term ______

biosphere

Even certain chemical conditions in the soil around the pond are affected by living organisms. If most trees nearby are oaks, the soil will be more alkaline. This kind of dynamic mix of _____ and _____ factors shapes every environment

biotic abiotic

Like all ecosystems, this pond is affected by a combination of _____ and ______

biotic abiotic

Some environmental factors, such as the muck around the edges of the pond, are a mix of _____ and ______ components

biotic abiotic

The biological influences on organisms are called ______

biotic factors

The biological influences on organisms are called _________

biotic factors

Environmental conditions include ______ and ______

biotic factors abiotic factors

The physical environment and organisms are considered interdependent because changes in one causes ____ in the other

changes

Interactions among nature's "houses" are based on ______ and ________

energy nutrients

Ecologists use the word ________ to refer to all conditions, or factors, surrounding an organism

environment

But typical pond muck also contains leaf mold and other decomposing plant materials produced by trees and other plants around the pond. That material is decomposing because it serves as _____ for bacteria and fungi that live in the muck

food

The root of the word ecology is the Greek word oikos, which means "_______."

house

Economics is concerned with human "______" and human ______ based on money or trade

houses interactions

So, ecology is the study of nature's "______" and the _____ that live in those houses

houses organisms

Each of these approaches relies on scientific _______ to guide inquiry

methodology

Bullfrogs hang out, for example, in soft muck along the shores of ponds. You might think that this muck is strictly part of the physical environment., because it contains _____ particles of sand and mud

nonliving

An abiotic factor is any _______ part of the environment, such as _____, _______, precipitation, humidity, wind or water currents, soil type, and so on.

nonliving sunlight heat

What are their three methods?

observation experimentation modeling

Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among _____ and between organisms and their _______

organisms physical environment

Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among _______ and their _______

organisms physical environment

A _______ is a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

population

Organisms _____ to their environments and can also ______ their environments, producing an ever-changing, or dynamic, ______

respond change biosphere

A leafy canopy of trees and shrubs often shade the pond's shoreline from direct _____ and protect it from strong ______

sun winds

In this way, organisms living around the pond strongly affect the amount of sunlight the shoreline receives and the range of _____ it experiences

temperatures

Modern ecologists use _____ methods in their work

three