Ecology and Key Ideas

• What is ecology primarily concerned with?

  Organisms and their environment interactions
• What are the key terms to understand ecology?

  • Habitat
  • Population
  • Community
  • Abiotic factors
  • Biotic factors
  • Ecosystem
• What is a habitat?

  The place where an organism lives
• What defines a population?

  All organisms of one species in a habitat
• What is a community in ecology?

  All organisms of different species in a habitat
• What are abiotic factors?

  Non-living factors of the environment
• What are biotic factors?

  Living factors of the environment
• What is an ecosystem?

  Interaction of biotic and abiotic components
• Why do organisms compete for resources?

  To survive and reproduce
• What do plants need to survive?

  Light, space, water, mineral ions
• What do animals need to survive?

  Space, shelter, food, water, mates
• What is interdependence in a community?

  Species depend on each other for resources
• What can happen if one species is removed from an ecosystem?

  It can have far-reaching effects
• What is a food web?

  A diagram of what eats what
• Why are stonefly larvae important in a food web?

  They are sensitive to pollution
• What effect does pollution have on stonefly larvae?

  It can kill them
• What are the effects of losing stonefly larvae on other organisms?

  • Black fly larvae: Less competition for algae
  • Water spider: More likely to be eaten by predators
  • Stickleback: Less food
• What characterizes stable communities?

  Population sizes are roughly constant
• What can happen to population sizes in stable communities?

  They may go up and down in cycles
• What do organisms compete for in an ecosystem?

  • Light
  • Space
  • Water
  • Food
  • Shelter
  • Mates
• What are the two types of factors that affect the environment of organisms?

  Abiotic and biotic factors
• How do abiotic and biotic factors affect a community?

  They can significantly impact population sizes
• What happens when there is an increase in temperature in an ecosystem?

  It can affect the size of populations
• How does a decrease in light intensity affect plant species?

  It decreases the rate of photosynthesis
• What could a decrease in mineral content in soil lead to?

  Nutrient deficiencies affecting plant growth
• How can the introduction of a new biotic factor affect a community?

  It can change population sizes and interdependence
• What effect can a new predator have on prey populations?

  It can cause a decrease in prey population
• What happened to the population size of Species A after 1985?

  It decreased rapidly
• What does the graph suggest about the arrival of the new pathogen for Species A?

  It arrived around 1985
• What trend is observed in the population size of Species A after 1990?

  The population started to rise again
• What are the interdependencies between abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem?

  • Abiotic factors influence biotic factors
  • Changes in abiotic factors affect population sizes
  • Biotic factors can alter abiotic conditions
• Why does life exist in various environments?

  Organisms have adapted to different environments
• What are adaptations in organisms?

  Features that allow survival in environments
• What are the three types of adaptations?

  • Structural
  • Behavioral
  • Functional
• What do structural adaptations refer to?

  Features of an organism's body structure
• How does the Arctic fox's thick fur help it?

  It prevents heat loss in extreme cold
• What adaptation helps whales retain heat?

  A thick layer of blubber
• How do camels adapt to desert conditions?

  They store water in their hump
• What are behavioral adaptations?

  Ways that organisms behave to survive
• Why do swallows migrate during colder months?

  To avoid problems of cold conditions