INTERACTIONS IN ECOSYSTEMS
True or False: a herbivore eats only plants
TRUE
Eukarya
Taxonomic domain consisting of eukaryotes (any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes). Eukaryotic organisms may be unicellular, or multicellular. Includes animals, plants, fungi, and protists.
Archaea
Taxonomic domain consisting of single-celled prokaryotic organisms (organisms whose cells lack a defined nucleus) that have distinct molecular characteristics separating them from bacteria (the other, more prominent group of prokaryotes)
Bacteria
Taxonomic domain consisting of single-celled prokaryotic organisms that live in enormous numbers in almost every environment on Earth, from deep-sea vents to deep below Earth's surface to the digestive tracts of humans. They differ from archaea in their ability to form spores and to remain dormant.
Species
Taxonomic group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring.
Order
Taxonomic rank below class and above family. Contains one or more families.
Genus
Taxonomic rank below family and above species. Contains one or more species.
Phylum
Taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. The kingdom Animalia contains approximately 35 phyla, Plantae contains 12, and Fungi contains 7.
Family
Taxonomic rank below order and above genus. Contains one or more genera.
Class
Taxonomic rank below phylum and above order. Contains one or more orders.
Taxonomy
The study of the general principles of scientific classification.
Where do plants get their energy from?
The sun
Classification
The systematic grouping of organisms based on shared characteristics.
What are abiotic factors?
nonliving things
What are decomposers?
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
What does the arrow in a food chain show?
which animal is receiving the energy or eating the organism
Domain
A taxonomic category above the kingdom level. The three domains are Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.
Primary Consumer
An animal that feeds on plants
Producer
An organism that makes its own food.
Consumer
An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
Aristotle
Ancient Greek philosopher who designed the first classification system which divided living things into two categories: plants and animals.
Secondary Consumer
Animals that eat herbivores
Herbivore
Any animal that feeds chiefly on grass and other plants.
Omnivore
Any animal that feeds on both animal and vegetable substances.
Carnivore
Any animal that feeds on flesh.
Name 2 primary consumers
Anything the eats grass or plants. eg zebra, giraffe, cow, rabbit etc
What are biomes?
Are major life zones characterized by vegetation type or physical environment
Name 1 type of decomposer
Bacteria or Fungi
Trophic level
Each step in a food chain or food web
What travels through a food chain or web?
Energy
Carl Linnaeus
Father of taxonomy; an 18th century Swedish botanist who proposed the modern system of biological nomenclature.
Describe the difference between a food web and a food chain
Food web = shows an animal eating more than one other organism Food chain = single line (ie animal eats one organism)
Describe what would happen if one link of a food chain were to die off.
Gradually all the other parts of the food chain would die off too
What is the biosphere?
It is the part of Earth where life exists
Who's ecosystem is larger, a lion's or a toad's?
Lion's
Where are biotic factors?
Living things
True or False: if one part in a food web dies off everything else will die off to.
Not necessarily. In a food WEB animals can find another source of food to survive
Autotroph
Organism capable of makes its own food from simple organic substances. Plants are autotrophs because they use photosynthesis to create food.
Heterotroph
Organism that depends on complex organic substances for nutrition. Humans are heterotrophs.
Decomposer
Organisms that feed on decaying matter.
What are producers?
Organisms that make their own food
What is the first level of a food chain called?
Primary Producers
Which trophic level must have the most amount of animals?
Primary Producers
Phytoplankton is part of which Trophic Level?
Primary Producers Level 1
What is the missing link in this food chain? Grass - _______ - Fox
Rabbit
Kingdom
Second highest taxonomic rank below domain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla. The six kingdoms are Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaea and Bacteria.
What are trophic levels?
levels of nourishment in a food chain
Food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
What is an ecosystem?
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Binomial Nomenclature
A biological species name consisting of two terms, e.g. Home sapiens (humans) or Canis familiaris (dogs).
Tertiary consumer
A carnivore at the top most level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers.
Food web
A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
Organism
A living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently
population density
the average number of individuals per unit area
carrying capacity
the maximum number of individuals of a species an ecosystem can support
immigration
the movement of individuals INTO the population
emigration
the movement of individuals OUT of the population
migration
the movement of individuals in and out of the population
population size
the number of individuals in a population
population distribution
the pattern, or spread, of individuals in a given area
competition
a direct of indirect initeraction between organisms that harms each other's chances of survival
population
a group of the same species that inhabits a geographical area
invasive species
a nonnative species that lives in an ecosystem
What is an ecosystem?
a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment
What is mutualism?
both organisms benefit
