Ecology & Ecosystems

Ecology & Ecosystems

by Mrs. Radford

​Ecosystems Intro Vocab

• ​Ecology- the study of interactions between organisms & their environments

• ​Ecosystem- the living & nonliving factors that work together & interact in an area.

• ​Biosphere- the largest ecosystem----all of the ecosystems on Earth combined. Bio=life!

• ​Biotic- living

• ​Abiotic- nonliving

Multiple Choice

An ecosystem is made up of __________.

• living things only

• non-living things only

• both living and non-living things

​Abiotic Factors

Multiple Choice

Abiotic factors are ___________.

• non-living parts of an ecosystem

• living parts of an ecosystem

• things that once were alive, but now are dead

• not important parts of ecosystems.

​Biotic Factors

• ​Each organism has its own role in the ecosystem, called a NICHE, and it's own living environment, called a HABITAT.

• ​Population- all the organisms of a species that love in an area.

• ​Community- the different populations of a species living in an area.

Multiple Choice

Biotic factors are ___________.

• non-living parts of an ecosystem

• living parts of an ecosystem

• things that once were alive, but now are dead

• not important parts of ecosystems.

Multiple Choice

What does the word root 'bio-' mean?

• living

• dead

• science

• study

Multiple Choice

Are consumers biotic or abiotic factors?

• biotic

• abiotic

Multiple Choice

Is sunlight a biotic or abiotic factor?

• biotic

• abiotic

​Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem

• ​Organism- one member of a population

• ​Population- the total number of one type of organism (a species) in a certain area.

• ​Community- all of the populations that interact in an area

• ​Ecosystem- all of the communities & nonliving factors in an area

• ​Biome- a region that can include a number of ecosystems

• ​Biosphere- all of the ecosystems on Earth combined.Ex:Ex

Multiple Choice

A collection of organisms that belong to different populations but all live in the same area and interact with one another.

• Population
• Ecosystem
• Community
• Ecosphere

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a level of organization in ecosystems?

• community
• species
• population
• organism

Multiple Choice

A single living thing

• organism

• population

• community

• ecosystem

Multiple Choice

cactus, snake, coyote, sagebrush, and hare in the same area.

• community

• abiotic factors

• population

• niche

Multiple Choice

Coyote, sand, 102 degrees, cactus, and snake.

• ecosystem

• biomes

• niche

• community

Multiple Choice

Which choice shows the correct order of the levels of environmental organization?

• organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere

• organism, population, ecosystem, biosphere, community

• organism, community, population, ecosystem, biosphere

• population, ecosystem, biosphere, organism, community

Multiple Choice

An individual is a single _______________ of a particular species. One single zebra is an example.

• Population

• Organism

• Ecosystem

Multiple Choice

All the individuals of one species in a given area is called a ______________. A herd of zebras would be an example.

• Population

• Community

• Non-living

• Organism

Multiple Choice

The total sum of all the populations of living things within an area that interact with one another is called_________. Zebra, elephants, and giraffes would be an example

• Biosphere

• Population

• Community

• Organism

Multiple Choice

An _____________ is an interwoven system of biotic and abiotic factors.

• Species

• Ecosystem

• Microscope

• Zoo

​Populations

• ​Population density- how close together members of a population live.

• ​Populations are denser when more organisms occupy a smaller area.

• ​Carrying Capacity- the largest number of organisms an ecosystem can support.

• ​Carrying capacity of an ecosystem is determined by limiting factors & by factors such as the number of other organisms living in the ecosystem.

  • ​Ex: If a drought killed off a large portion of grass in an area, the number of sheep that can rely on that grass for food will also decrease. (Meaning a smaller carrying capacity)

​Limiting Factors

• ​Organisms compete for these resources & depend on them for survival.

  • ​Water

  • ​Sunlight

  • ​Food

  • ​Living Space

​Biotic Potential

• ​Biotic potential- the highest rate of reproduction possible by a species in ideal living conditions.

• ​Dogs have higher biotic potential than humans because dogs give birth to several puppies at once & humans usually only give birth to one child at a time.

  • ​Dogs are also able to reproduce within a year of being born

• ​Bacteria species may reproduce every 20 minutes.

​Population Growth & Migration

• ​Population growth rate depends on the number of births & deaths in a population.

  • ​Zimbabwe has an annual human population growth rate of 2.3 %, but Greece has a PGR of -0.06% (which means the population is shrinking).

• ​Population numbers can also be affected by migration, which is when a population moves from one habitat to another, like birds flying north or south.

  • ​Some migrations are causes by a more permanent change in habitat or climate that forces a population to move elsewhere.

Multiple Choice

What might happen if the earth exceeds its carrying capacity?

• There might not be room for people to move around.

• There might not be enough food and water for everyone.

• The continents might sink into the oceans.

• Most of the people on the planet would starve.

Multiple Choice

In the graph to the right, what is the population of deer at the carrying capacity of the environment?

• 3

• 7

• 70

• 40

Multiple Choice

In a forest ecosystem, which of the following is NOT an example of a limiting factor that would greatly affect a rabbit population?

• a rainy season

• a disease that causes rabbits to die

• grass available to eat

• the population of hawks that eat rabbits

Multiple Choice

When a population grows past the ecosystem's carrying capacity, what happens to the population?

• It continues to grow higher and higher.

• The population starts to die off and returns to the carrying capacity.

• The population will go extinct due to lack of resources.

Multiple Choice

The graph to the right shows the interaction of the wolf and moose populations on Isle Pekie. If the moose population continues to increase, the wolves' food supply will increase. What will most likely happen to the wolf population as a result?

• It will decrease.

• It will increase.

• It will remain the same.

Multiple Choice

Something in the environment that keeps a population from steadily increasing is known as

• a limiting factor

• population density

• the carrying capacity

• reproduction

Multiple Choice

The picture to the right represents a sunny, dry desert.

Which factor most likely limits the desert’s carrying

capacity for plant life?

• the number of animals that eat plants

• the amount of sunlight

• the availability of space to grow

• the availability of water

Multiple Choice

The reason that organisms cannot produce populations of unlimited size is that

• Populations always stay exactly the same.

• The resources of Earth are limited.

• There is no carrying capacity for the whole Earth.

• Species rarely compete with each other for food.

Multiple Choice

Which factor that limits a population’s size is important especially when population numbers become large and dense?

• seasonal changes

• extreme weather

• competition for food

• sea level height

Multiple Choice

In a large Maine forest with many animals and lots of space, there are only a small number of bears. Which of these most likely limits the population of bears in the forest?

• cloud cover in the atmosphere

• space

• supply of food

• types of trees in the area

Multiple Choice

A population of salamanders that live in a river require clear, fresh water to survive. New housing developments have caused tons of sediment to muddy the river. Which

of these most likely will happen to the salamander population?

• The salamanders go live on land.

• The salamanders will move across land to another river.

• The salamanders will quickly adapt to living in the muddy water.

• The salamanders will decrease in number because of the water quality.

Multiple Choice

A scientist was studying a population of fish in a pond over a period of 10 years. He observed that

the population increased each year for 3 years, and then remained nearly constant for the rest of

the study. The best explanation for this observation is that the population had

• stopped reproducing

• reached carrying capacity

• mutated into a different species

• run out of food and all died

Multiple Choice

One species of Galapagos finches, the cactus finch, eats insects off cactus plants. A disease kills off most of the cacti in the Galapagos Islands.

Which of these most likely would happen to the carrying capacity of the island?

• It would increase a small amount since the insect population would decrease.

• It would remain about the same since the finches would change to a different diet.

• It would decrease a lot because there is less to eat.

Multiple Choice

Mice produce a large number of offspring all year long, yet the number of mice within a given population changes very little from year to year. The stability of the population size is most likely the result of

• mice continuing to reproduce when its population is large

• the survival of more female mice than male mice

• the development of mutations in young mice

• limiting factors that keep the population in check

Multiple Choice

Ten breeding pairs of mink are introduced onto an island with no natural predators and a good supply of water and food. What will most likely happen to the mink population?

• It will remain relatively constant due to equal birth and death rates.

• It will die out.

• It will increase until it exceeds carrying capacity.

• It will decrease and then increase forever.

Multiple Choice

A sample of bacteria was added to a culture dish containing a limited food supply. (Culture dishes are designed to help bacteria grow.) The dish was kept in an incubator for two weeks, where temperature that bacteria prefer to live in was kept constant. The graph to the right shows changes that occurred in the bacterial population over the two weeks.

Which statement provides the best explanation for the population increase then decrease?

• The bacteria were unable to reproduce until day 8.

• The bacteria ate all of the available food.

• The bacteria could not grow at all in the provided temperatures.

• The bacteria could not grow at all with the provided food type.

Multiple Choice

What might happen if the earth exceeds its carrying capacity?

• There might not be room for people to move around.

• There might not be enough food and water for everyone.

• The continents might sink into the oceans.

• Most of the people on the planet would starve.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following describes a population?

• The total number of people, animals, and plants in New York City

• The total number of houses in Atlanta

• The total number of people living in the state of Texas

• The total number of fish in all the world's oceans

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a true statement about deforestation?

• Once trees are cut down, they can never grow back again

• Trees provide humans with the carbon dioxide we need to breathe

• Animals lose their habitats when too many trees are cut down

• Wood and paper products cannot be recycled

Multiple Choice

If the world population keeps growing at its current rate, how many people might be alive in 10 years?

• 14 million

• 22 billion

• Between 7 and 8 billion

• 1.5 trillion

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be a good step to take to reduce the waste you produce?

• Ask your parents to buy you your own car

• Try to reduce your consumption of electricity and fuel

• Use only electric appliances in your home

• Only buy products with vacuum-sealed plastic packaging

Multiple Choice

Why are solar and wind power considered alternative energy sources?

• They are an alternative to non-renewable energy sources like fossil fuels

• They are used by people in alternative communities

• They use alternating current instead of direct current

• You can alternate between using solar power during the day and wind power at night

Multiple Choice

Why would advances in medicine lead to population growth?

• Curing deadly diseases allows people to live longer

• People are unable to have babies without medical help

• Babies do not grow if they don't take their medicine

• New drugs allow mothers to have multiple births, like octuplets

Multiple Choice

How can population growth lead to more pollution?

• Too many people breathing causes too much carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere

• The body heat generated by billions of people leads to an increase in global warming

• More people being born means more paper is needed to print birth certificates

• All people produce waste, so more people equals more waste

Multiple Choice

Before 1800, the infant mortality rate was much higher than it is now. What does that mean?

• People didn't have a lot of babies before 1800

• Children did not grow very tall before 1800

• Most women were unable to have babies before 1800

• A lot more babies died during childhood before 1800

Multiple Choice

Which of the following terms best describes the current rate of world population growth?

• Slack

• Leisurely

• Gradual

• Rapid