Ecology Unit Vocabulary and Reading Assignment #1
Mrs. Cox Biology
From your textbook (Chapters 3, 4 and 5), please define the following terms in your vocab notebook.
Biosphere
Autotroph
Parasitism
Abiotic
Heterotroph
Mutualism
Biotic
Trophic Level
Commensalism
Biome
Herbivore
Immigration
Food Chain
Omnivore
Emigration
Food Web
Carnivore
Carrying Capacity
Symbiosis
Predator
Demography
Then, answer the following questions in complete sentences, also in your vocab notebook:
1. List the 6 levels of organization that ecologists study in order from smallest to largest.
2. What are the two main forms of energy that power living systems?
3. What proportion of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an
ecosystem?
4. Describe how energy is transferred from one trophic level to another in an energy
pyramid.
5. Why do living organisms need nutrients?
6. Describe the path of nitrogen through its biogeochemical cycle.
7. Explain how a nutrient can be a limiting factor in an ecosystem.
8. What is the difference between a biotic factor and an abiotic factor?
9. What is the difference between primary and secondary ecological succession?
10. How is an organism’s niche determined?
11. What is an example of commensalism?
12. What is meant by “climate” when describing a biome?
13. What types of limiting factors to population growth are density dependent? Density
independent?
14. What does it mean when a population has reached its carrying capacity?
15. What are some factors that contributed to the large human population increase since
1950?
This assignment is due on October 28th and 29th. This will be your
final grade for Quarter 1, therefore there will be no “grace period.”