Midterm Review: Scientific Method and Ecology

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What is the scientific method?

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A systematic process used for scientific investigation, involving steps such as stating a problem, gathering information, forming a hypothesis, conducting experiments, and drawing conclusions.

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What is a hypothesis?

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An educated guess stating what you believe will be the result of your experiment.

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Why is it important to test only one independent variable at a time?

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To know what is causing the changes. This helps us understand cause and effect.

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What is an ecosystem?

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A community of living organisms interacting with their environment.

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What role do producers play in an ecosystem?

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Producers, like plants, create their own food through photosynthesis and provide energy for other organisms.

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What is a consumer in ecological terms?

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An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.

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What is a food chain?

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

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What is a food web?

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A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.

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What happens to a population when a key species is removed from an ecosystem?

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The balance of the ecosystem can be disrupted, leading to population declines or increases in other species.

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What is biodiversity?

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The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.