What I need to know about Ecology
1. Analyze abiotic factors in a terrestrial ecosystem.
An abiotic factor is __________________________________________________.
A biotic factor is ____________________________________________________.
Identify and list the abiotic factors found in the following ecosystems:
(HINT: Some of the abiotic factors are unseen)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Abiotic Factors
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
2. Determine the effect of an environmental condition on an ecosystem
Environmental
Condition
Base
Acid
Pollution
Light
Food
Abiotic/Biotic
Factor
Effect on Ecosystem
3. Analyze interactions between predator/prey.
Using the picture above, identify the predator and the prey in the space provided.
Predator _____________
Prey ________________
In a predator/prey relationship, does the prey control the
predator or does the predator control the prey? Why?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Using the graph from above, describe what happens to the population of predators as the population
of prey increases.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Classify symbiotic relationships
Name that relationship! Is it mutualism, commensalism, parasitism?
A honeybee gets to eat the nectar from a flower. The dandelion uses the bee to spread its
pollen to another flower. What type of relationship do these two organisms share? _____________
An American Robin builds its nest in a Red Maple tree so that it may have a home to take care
of its young. The maple tree is unaffected by the presence of the American Robin and its nest.
What type of relationship do these two organisms share? _________________________________
A deer tick makes its home on a White-tailed Deer. The tick is able to get food from the deer
without killing. Although the deer is not killed, it is harmed by losing blood to the tick, and
possibly by getting an infected wound. What type of relationship do these two organisms share?
_________________________________________
The oxpecker (a kind of bird) and the zebra share a
symbiotic relationship. The Oxpecker lands on the
zebra and eats the ticks and other parasites that live
on their skin. The oxpecker gets food and the zebra get
pest control.
How does this relationship show mutualism?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Barnacles are crustaceans whose adults are
sedentary (do not move around). The motile (moving)
larvae find a suitable surface, in this case a whale,
and then undergo a metamorphosis (change) to the
sedentary adult form. The barnacle benefits by
finding a habitat where nutrients are available. In
other words, the whale provides transportation to
various new food sources. The presence of barnacle
populations on the whale does not appear to hamper
or enhance its survival.
How does this relationship show commensalism?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
The lamprey is a primitive fish that attaches to the bodies of native
fish and feeds on their body fluids. This often leads to the death of
the native fish.
How does this relationship show parasitism?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Competition
Use the word bank to complete the following:
Water, food, light, never, fighting, resource, effect, species, nesting, supply,
Competition is when two _________________ use the same ______________. Some examples of
the types of resources for which species compete are: __________, ___________ sites, living space,
________, mineral nutrients, and _________. This competition occurs when there is a shortage in
the ___________. Competition between species does not always involve ________________.
Some species actually __________ encounter each other. Their interaction may only be their
_________ on the available resources.
The interaction between a spruce tree and a hemlock tree, both of which require nitrogen from the
soil, is an example of
a. mutualism
b. commensalism
c. succession
d. competition
5. Illustrate the movement of water, carbon, and nitrogen within an ecosystem.
The water cycle shows the movement of water between
______________ systems and the __________________.
On Earth, water cycles through the atmosphere, oceans, land,
and organisms. By what process does most of the water in plants
return to the environment?
a.
b.
c.
d.
evaporation from the roots
condensation on the leaves
transpiration: evaporation from the leaves
diffusion from the roots
The Nitrogen Cycle
What organism is responsible for converting
nitrogen into a form that plants can use?
____________________
What human factors increase nitrogen levels
in the environment?
1. __________________
2. __________
NOTE: High levels of nitrogen lead to algal blooms, which lower the oxygen level in environments
like the Chesapeake Bay.
The Carbon Cycle
What two processes are involved in
the cycling of carbon?
1. ________________________
2. ________________________
6. Identify the interrelationships among
organisms in an ecosystem.
From this ocean food web, locate and list two food
chains.
1._____________________________________
_______________________________________
2.______________________________________
_______________________________________
Using the information provided by the oceanic food web, complete the chart.
Organism
Trophic Level (Producer/Primary Consumer/Secondary
Consumer/Top Consumer)
What would happen to the other organisms in the food web if:
a. the killer whale became extinct
b. the shrimp became overpopulated
7. Illustrate relationships among organisms.
Why is the first trophic level (the producers) the largest level in
the energy pyramid.
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Primary consumers are herbivores, carnivores, omnivores.
(circle one)
The numbers on the side of the energy pyramid represent
________________________________
Why do the numbers decrease from 1000 to 1 as the pyramid rises.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
8. Describe Succession.
Briefly explain what is happening in the
diagram.
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Lichens that colonize bare rocks are an example of a pioneer species (first species to live in an
environement). In which environment would a pioneer species be most successful?
a.
b.
c.
d.
an old-growth deciduous forest.
a hillside that has been cleared by a forest fire.
a mountain meadow after the spring snowmelt.
a grassland that has established itself on the site of an old farm.
9. Explain how natural and manmade changes in the environment affect individual organisms
and the dynamics of populations.
Complete the chart below:
Natural and Manmade
Changes
Depletion of food
Destruction of habitats
Disease
Natural disasters
Pollution
Population increase
Urbanization
Description of Environmental Impact