Ecology Science

Explain how a community and a population are similar. How are they different?

A community refers to all the different organisms that live together in a given area. A population refers to a group of organisms of the same type, or species, living together in the same area. Also, in a community, there can be many populations.

Explain why a diverse food web is better than a simple food web for the survival of a community.

A diverse food web is better because if one organism goes away, the whole food web won't collapse. Other organisms can take its place and the food web may still survive.

Population

A group of organisms of the same type, or species, living together in the same area.

Habitat

A place in which an organism lives and obtains the resources it needs to survive One ecosystem will contain more than one habitat

Explain why an herbivore is not the same thing as a vegetarian/vegan.

A vegetarian has the choice whether or not to eat meat. A herbivore doesn't have the choice and cannot digest meat well.

Would whitetail deer living in a forest in Pennsylvania be members of the same population of whitetail deer living in New York? Explain your answer.

Although the white-tail deer in Pennsylvania are in the same species as the white-tail deer in New York, they are not members of the same population because they do not live geographically close enough to interact with each other.

Explain the difference between the environment and an ecosystem.

An ecosystem is primarily about the interactions between all the living and nonliving things in a given area. An environment is made up of all the living and nonliving things

Decomposer

Breaks down wastes and dead organisms -- can be a plant or an animal Returns raw material to their ecosystem to be used by other organisms Without decomposers the raw material would stay locked up in wastes & bodies of dead organisms Example: Slugs, worms, fungi, termites, mushrooms

Scavenger

Carnivore that feeds on bodies of dead animals •Example: Catfish and vulture

Food Web

Consists of many overlapping food chains Food webs also overlap Example: A seagull eats from the ocean and also from a landfill

Describe how all consumers are alike.

Consumers can't make their own food and have to depend on other organisms.

Consumer (Heterotroph)

Depends on producers or other consumers for food energy, they cannot make their own food Classified by what they eat

Why do you find different kinds of organisms in different habitats?

Different organisms have different requirements for survival, which are found in their different habitats

Ecosystem

Group of organisms that live in a particular area, along with their nonliving surroundings Boundaries are not fixed in any obvious way Overlap and affect one another 5 basic components for ecosystem survival: energy, mineral nutrients, water, oxygen, and living things

Explain how the spraying of an insecticide might interfere with the balance of an ecosystem. Be specific and use examples.

Insecticide might kill off herbivorous and carnivorous insects which can lead to imbalance of an ecosystem. The pesticide can travel through the wind and end up in an undesired location and harm or kill organisms.

Explain why keystone species are targets for conservation efforts. Don't forget an example.

Keystone species help balance an ecosystem, and without them the ecosystem will collapse. For example, the sea otter is a keystone species in the Pacific Northwest. These mammals feed on sea urchins, controlling their population. If the otters didn't eat the urchins, the urchins would eat up the habitat's kelp too quickly. Kelp, or giant seaweed, is a major source of food and shelter for the ecosystem.

Biotic

Living things Living or was ever living (may not be alive, but still considered a "living" thing Organisms that are alive obtain food, water, shelter, and other things they need to grow and reproduce from their habitat

Producer (Autotroph)

Makes own food (autotroph) Uses sun's energy to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar molecules (plant's food) Source of all of the food in the ecosystem

Abiotic

Nonliving (never lived)

Why is the term "interdependent" often used to describe the LIVING (biotic) and NONLIVING (abiotic) things that share an environment?

Organisms have special roles that they play in an ecosystem. For example, they might be producers, consumers or decomposers. Producers are the source of all food in an ecosystem. Consumers feed directly or indirectly on producers. Decomposers break down dead organisms into simpler substances in which they return important materials back to the ecosystem. This interdependence keeps the cycle going and the ecosystem alive.

Keystone Species

Plays a critical role in maintaining the balance of the community Can include predator or prey species, plants and even habitat resources (water for example). Impact is greater than expected based on its relative abundance (total biomass) Target for conservation efforts

Herbivore

Primary consumers Eats only producers (plants) Example: Deer, rabbit, giraffe Not the same as a vegetarian because vegetarians choose to eat only vegetables; Herbivores cannot and will become sick

Omnivore

Primary, secondary and third-level consumers Eats both plants and animals Example: Blue jay, bear, human

Ecologist

Scientist who studies how organisms react to changes in their environment

Carnivore

Secondary and third level consumers Eats only meat Example: Lion, wolf, shark

Food Chain

Series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten First link is always a producer Second link is a herbivore or omnivore Third link (and all those after) is almost always a carnivore Most food chains have no more than 4 or 5 links End is connected to the beginning by decomposers

Community

The living part of any ecosystem or all the different organisms that live together in that area.

Photosynthesis

The process of using the sun's energy to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar molecules (plant's food)

What is the source of all energy for an ecosystem?

The source of all energy for an ecosystem is the sun.

Ecology

The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

Name and describe the 3 basic energy roles in an ecosystem. What determines an organism's energy role in an ecosystem? Give AT LEAST one example of an organism that "plays" each of the roles.

Three basic energy roles in an ecosystem are producers, consumers, and decomposers. The organism's job determines its energy role in an ecosystem. For example, grass is a food source for organisms like grasshoppers who can't make their own food. Since grass uses sunlight to turn simple raw materials into food, it's a producer.

Environment

Total surroundings where an organism lives or what an organism lives in Does not include the relationships that exist between the living and nonliving

Explain why decomposers are extremely important to a healthy ecosystem.

Without decomposers the raw material would stay locked up in wastes & bodies of dead organisms