Environmental Exam 2024

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem, illustrating how energy and nutrients flow through different trophic levels.

Front

What is the impact of an increase in predator population on prey species?

Back

An increase in predator population, such as owls, can lead to a significant decrease in prey species, like deer mice, due to increased predation.

Front

Define parasitism.

Back

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of another organism (the host), often harming it.

Front

What are invasive species?

Back

Invasive species are non-native organisms that, when introduced to a new environment, can cause harm to the ecosystem, economy, or human health.

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can sustainably support without degrading.

Front

How does the removal of primary producers affect an ecosystem?

Back

Removing primary producers, like grasses and shrubs, decreases the energy available in the ecosystem, leading to a decline in consumer populations.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where both organisms involved benefit from the interaction.

Front

Explain the concept of energy flow in an ecosystem.

Back

Energy flow in an ecosystem refers to the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another, starting from producers to consumers and decomposers.

Front

What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the soil, which supports plant growth and maintains ecosystem health.

Front

Define commensalism.

Back

Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.