Trophic Levels and Biodiversity

Front

What is competition in an ecosystem?

Back

A condition that occurs when two or more organisms compete for the same resources.

Front

What does carrying capacity refer to in an ecosystem?

Back

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Front

What is an Indicator Species?

Back

A life form that is very sensitive to environmental changes in its ecosystem, providing early-warning messages that a habitat is suffering.

Front

What happens to the population of predators if all frogs in a population die?

Back

The frogs' predators will decrease and the frogs' prey will increase.

Front

What is predation?

Back

A biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, the prey.

Front

Define mutualism.

Back

A symbiotic relationship between two species in which both benefit from the interaction.

Front

What is parasitism?

Back

A relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits at the expense of the other.

Front

What is biodiversity?

Back

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Front

What role do ecosystem engineers play?

Back

Species that create, modify, or maintain habitats, affecting the availability of resources for other species.

Front

What is a trophic level?

Back

Each of the hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain.