Ecology Review

Front

What is commensalism?

Back

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed. Example: Cattle egrets foraging among cattle.

Front

What percentage of energy is typically passed on to the next trophic level in an ecosystem?

Back

10%.

Front

What is an omnivore?

Back

An animal that eats both plants and meat.

Front

What happens to 90% of the energy as you move up a food pyramid?

Back

It is lost as heat to the environment.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

A type of symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit. Example: Bacteria in the intestines of cows aiding in digestion.

Front

Define parasitism.

Back

A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another. Example: Tapeworms in the intestines of animals.

Front

What is a herbivore?

Back

An animal that primarily eats plants.

Front

What is a carnivore?

Back

An animal that primarily eats other animals.

Front

Explain the concept of a food chain.

Back

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Front

What is a trophic level?

Back

Each step in a food chain or food web, representing a different level of energy transfer.