Bio ecology questions

5. Describe a win/win type of symbiosis.

Mutualism (both species benefit from the relationship) example: the flower provides the hummingbird with nectar and the hummingbird helps the flower reproduce by transporting pollen from one flower to the next.

5. In reference to the birds in the above question, do they belong to the same community?

No, since the birds are not considered a population, they are not in the same community because they don't have the same gene pool because they can't interbreed

4. You notice two birds living in different parts of the same tree outside your house. They have similar markings and are a similar size. After continual observation, you realize that they cannot interbreed. Do these birds belong to the same population?

No, they are not a population because they are separate species that cannot interbreed with one another, and do not share the same gene pool

6. Describe a win/lose type of symbiosis.

Parasitism (one organism benefits while the other is harmed) example: mosquitoes feed off of the blood of other organisms. Mosquitoes also carry various types of parasites and viruses that cause diseases like yellow fever and malaria.

12. Describe what is happening in a population during logistic growth.

Populations that are limited in resources experience logistic growth, the population can be maintained with a given amount of resources (carrying capacity) when a population becomes too large, it exhausts food supply, water supply and shelter and population size stops increasing.

11. Explain the growth rate during exponential growth.

Exponential growth occurs when a population reproduces at a constant rate - it occurs in the absence of predation/disease in the presence of unlimited resources (food, habitat, etc.)

9. What do food webs/food chains illustrate?

Food webs and chains illustrate the flow of energy in an ecosystem

3. How do greenhouse gases affect climate?

Greenhouse gases trap the sun's energy which results in warmer climates

8. List two factors that increase population size and two factors that decrease population size.

Increase the population: -immigration -births Decrease the population: - emigration -deaths

11. Describe the process of primary succession from bare rock to climax community.

Lichen and moss grow on bare rock. When they die, the nutrients are added to the ground and become soil. Grasses, small plants and then climax communities follow as the soil becomes better able to sustain life.

1. What is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather is the day-to-day condition of the Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place. Abiotic factors like wind, temperature, and precipitation produce weather. Climate refers to the average weather condition in a region over a number of years. It's caused by many factors including latitude, the trapping of heat by the atmosphere, the transport of heat by winds and ocean currents, precipitation, altitude, and land masses.

4. When does competition occur?

When different organisms try to obtain resources in the same place at the same time, competition occurs.

3. The red-billed oxpecker is a bird that lives in the savanna of Africa. These birds feed on ticks and are known to rest on the backs of large mammals, such as giraffes and impalas, and eat ticks off of the mammals' skins. Think of two questions that an ecologist would study about this interaction.

- why do these animals stick together with one another? - how do they benefit each other? -Does this harm or benefit the animals/birds? -Does this behavior lead to higher survival for the animals/birds? -Do the birds compete for host animals? -How does this behavior affect predation of the animal?

10. Describe three biotic factors of the coral reef ecosystem.

-fish / animals -plants (coral) -bacteria

9. Coral reefs are ecosystems that are found in ocean water that is clear, warm and shallow. A variety of animals thrive in coral ecosystems, such as reef fish, mollusks, sharks, turtles and coral vegetation. Describe three abiotic factors of the coral reef ecosystem.

-temperature -nutrient availability -precipitation

(Second slide show class work questions)

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2. What does a community include?

A community is composed of all the different populations of species that live in a given area

7. How are a habitat and a niche different?

A habitat describes the specific area- including biotic and abiotic factors - where an organism lives within an ecosystem. (An organisms home within an ecosystem) A niche is a description of the role an organism plays in its habitat. It includes all aspects of where and how an organism lives.

8. What type of heterotrophs are the following animals: a)Cows only eat grass. b)Fungi break down organic matter. c)Lions eat other mammals. d)Earth worms eat decaying plants and animals. e)Bears eat both vegetation and meat.

A. Herbivores B. Decomposers C. Carnivores D. Detrivores E. Omnivores

6. What is an abiotic factor? Give two examples.

Abiotic factors are physical, nonliving factors that shape an ecosystem Examples: - sunlight - precipitation - temperature -wind -soil type -nutrient availability

7. What are two terms given to organisms that are able to produce their own food?

Autotrophs / producers

10. What is ecological succession?

Ecological succession is the term used to describe the series of expected changes that occur within the community of an ecosystem over time.

1. Which level of organization includes all others?

Ecosystem (includes community, population, and organism)

2. Describe how the uneven heating of Earth's surface causes circulation.

The uneven heating of the Earth's surface causes wind and ocean currents that transport heat through the biosphere. Solar radiation is more direct near the equator and less direct near the poles. This uneven heating results in warm air from the equator rising while cold air near the poles sinks towards the ground. The upward movement of warm air and downward movement of cold air create air currents that transfer heat.