Ecology Final Exam Review (Short)

Front

What is the term for a long-term storage area for carbon that is removed from the atmosphere?

Back

Carbon sink

Front

What is the smallest unit of ecological organization?

Back

Organism

Front

What type of symbiotic relationship is exemplified by the plover cleaning the teeth of the crocodile?

Back

Mutualism

Front

Which type of survivorship curve indicates that death occurs at a constant rate and at any age?

Back

Type II

Front

What type of dispersion is exhibited by schooling fish and herds of animals?

Back

Clumped

Front

Define 'ecosystem'.

Back

A community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment.

Front

What is 'biomass'?

Back

The total mass of living matter within a given area.

Front

What is the difference between 'autotrophs' and 'heterotrophs'?

Back

Autotrophs produce their own food; heterotrophs consume other organisms for energy.

Front

What is 'biodiversity'?

Back

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

Front

What is 'carrying capacity'?

Back

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely.