PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGY

What would happen if the sun was missing from our ecosystem? Life on earth would die. Life would find other energy sources. Only plants would die. Only herbivores would die.

A) Life on earth would die

Any given ecosystem will right itself given sufficient time, including all living and nonliving things affected by it. True False

False

Ecological systems can never be adequately understood. True False

False

Ecology is the study of the differences between plants and animals in their environment. True False

False

The relationships between organisms and their environment are peripheral. True False

False

Cycles in an environment, like the cycles of the seasons, have been designed and controlled by ______________________.

God

All living things affect all other living things. True False

True

Everything living and nonliving are connected to everything else. True False

True

What part of the ecosystem could not survive without the other components? carnivores herbivores decomposers plants

carnivores

An ecosystem may consist of more than one __________________ in a defined locale.

community

A framework which attempts to show the interrelationships of plants, animals, and the environment in a defined area is called a(n) _______________________.

ecosystem

It is now understood that life requires a simultaneous coexistence of numerous interdependent cycles. This fact essentially precludes _____________________ processes.

evolutionary

Each component of an ecosystem is: interdependent self sustaining unrelated independent

interdependent

Ecology is made up of: many sciences mathematics the science of biology animals

many sciences

Interrelationship implies a(n) _____________________ relationship.

mutual

The process of decomposition commonly releases into the environment: oxygen and helium nitrogen and carbon neon and argon iron and lead

nitrogen and carbon

The basic materials of which all living things are formed are ____________________ substances.

nonliving

The word ecology comes from Greek words meaning: study of the environment study of houses study of energy study of life

study of houses

(Select all that apply.) Choose the main components of an ecosystem. sun water plants nitrogen climate moon decomposers soil herbivores carnivores

sun water plants climate decomposers soil herbivores carnivores