Term
| What are the levels of organization? (in order from smallest to largest) |
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Definition
Individual - one organism
Population - all of the organisms in a community that are of the same species
Community - all of the populations in an ecosystem
Ecosystem - all of the biotic and abiotic factors in an area that work together
Biome - an area classified by its climate and the ecosystems within it
Biosphere - all of the living things on the earth |
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Term
| What is the difference between a food chain and a food web? |
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Definition
| A food chain shows only a few animals/plants that eat each other for energy, and a food web includes all of the food chains in an ecosystem or community. |
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Term
| How does energy move through a food chain? |
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Definition
| At each trophic level (level in the food chain), energy is lost from organism to organism. |
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Term
| What does a biomass pyramid represent? |
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Definition
| It shows how much potential food is available at each trophic level (in units). |
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Term
| What does a pyramid of numbers show? |
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Definition
| It shows how many organisms are at each trophic level. |
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Term
| What does an energy pyramid represent? |
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Definition
| It shows how much energy is at each trophic level. (The energy decreases by 10% at each level.) |
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Term
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Definition
Evaporation - Water evaporates from the oceans and other bodies of water.
Transpiration - Water evaporates from the leaves of plants and the ground.
Condensation - Water vapor condenses in the sky, forming clouds.
Precipitation - Water in all forms falls from clouds to the earth.
Surface Run-Off - Water in the surface of the earth (after precipitation occurs) runs off into oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water.
Seepage - Water on the surface of the earth seeps down into the earth.
Root Uptake - Roots of plants take in the water from the soil. |
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Term
| Explain the carbon cycle. |
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Definition
Photosynthesis - Plants on land AND in bodies of water use carbon dioxide (CO2) to make food.
Respiration - Animals and humans give off CO2 after taking in oxygen.
Feeding - Carbon in plants is taken in by animals and humans when they eat them.
Decomposition and Deposition - Carbon is decomposed in animals that have died and is deposited in the ground.
Erosion and Uplift - Carbonate rocks bring carbon to the surface through uplift and erosion.
Volcanic Activity - Volcanoes contribute to the CO2 in the air. |
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Term
| Explain the carbon cycle. |
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Definition
Photosynthesis - Plants on land AND in bodies of water use carbon dioxide (CO2) to make food.
Respiration - Animals and humans give off CO2 after taking in oxygen.
Feeding - Carbon in plants is taken in by animals and humans when they eat them.
Decomposition and Deposition - Carbon is decomposed in animals that have died and is deposited in the ground.
Erosion and Uplift - Carbonate rocks bring carbon to the surface through uplift and erosion.
Volcanic Activity - Volcanoes contribute to the CO2 in the air when they spew other gases and lava. |
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Term
| Explain the nitrogen cycle. |
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Definition
Denitrification - Soil bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas and releases it into the air.
Synthetic Fertilizer Manufacture - Nitrogen is put into the soil by fertilizing farmers use.
Uptake by Producers - Plants take in nitrates and nitrites from the soil.
Bacterial Nitrogen Fixation - Bacteria in the soil convert nitrogen gas into ammonia, and other bacteria convert the ammonia into nitrates and nitrites.
Decomposition and Excretion - Waste from animals contains nitrogen, and it is decomposed and deposited into the soil.
Reuse by Consumers - Consumers eat producers that contain nitrogen. |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which bacteria in soil converts nitrogen into ammonia, which is then converted into nitrates and nitrites by other bacteria. |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which soil bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas and release the gas into the air |
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Term
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Definition
| single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem |
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Term
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Definition
| single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem |
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Term
| What is an example of a limiting nutrient that would be found in a fresh water pond? |
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Definition
| phosphorus
(What IS phosphorus anyway? That was the example the book gave.) |
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Term
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Definition
| Climate is caused by the interplay of many factors, including the trapping of heat by the atmosphere, the latitude of a place, the transport of heat by winds and ocean currents, and the amount of precipitation that results. Shape and elevation of landmasses also contribute to global climate patterns. |
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Term
| What is the difference between "habitat" and "niche"? |
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Definition
| A habitat is a place an organism lives in, including all biotic and abiotic factors within it. A niche is an organisms role in its habitat. |
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Term
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Definition
| when two or more organisms have to compete for food, water, space, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| a relationship between two organisms in which one organism is the predator, trying to eat the other organism, the prey. |
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Term
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Definition
| a relationship between two organisms that benefits them, harms them, or has no effect on them |
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Term
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Definition
| symbiotic relationship in which both species or individuals benefit from the relationship |
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Term
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Definition
| symbiotic relationship in which one individual or species benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
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Term
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Definition
| symbiotic relationship in which one species or individual benefits and the other is harmed |
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Term
| What is the difference between primary and seconday succession? |
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Definition
| Primary succession occurs when there has been no disaster and there was not a habitat before the succession. Secondary succession occurs after a natural disaster destroys a habitat, but leaves the soil intact. |
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Term
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Definition
| group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities |
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Term
| What is the difference between an abiotic and a biotic factor? |
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Definition
| Abiotic factors are nonliving. They've aren't alive, never have been, never will be. Biotic factors are living or were once living. |
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Term
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Definition
| number of individuals per unit of area |
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Term
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Definition
| the maximum number of individuals in a species that can live in an area based on food supply and other resources needed |
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Term
| What is the difference between density-dependent factors and density-independent factors? |
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Definition
| Density-dependent factors are things that can limit the number of organisms in a population BASED ON how many individuals are in the population. (ex: disease, competition, predation, parasitism)
Density-independent factors are things that can limit the number of organisms in a population that have NOTHING TO DO with how many individuals are in the population already. (ex: unusual weather, natural disasters, seasonal cycles, certain human activities) |
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Term
| What can cause a population to increase or decrease? |
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Definition
| Decreases in death rates and increases in birth rates can help increase a population. Increases in death rates and decreases in birth rates can cause decreases in population. Density-dependent factors and density-independent factors can also cause decreases in population. |
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Term
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Definition
| increasing concentration of a harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web |
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