List and define the six levels of
organization in ecology, from the most
specific to the most complex.
individual (organism)- a single living organism
population- a group of individuals that belong to the same
species in a given area
community- a group of different populations in a given area
ecosystem- all the living and nonliving things in a given area
biome- a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and
typical organisms.
biosphere- anywhere on earth life exists.
The branch of biology
dealing with interactions
among organisms and
between organisms and
their environment is called
Ecology
The simplest grouping of more than
one kind of organism in the biosphere
is
community
The lowest level of
environmental complexity
that includes living and
nonliving factors is the
ecosystem
Plants are
Autotrophs and primary
producers
How do most primary
producers make their
own food?
by using light energy to make
carbohydrates
In which way are plants in
a sunny mountain meadow
and sulfur bacteria in a
deep-sea volcanic
vent alike?
They both produce
carbohydrates and oxygen.
In what way are
herbivores and
carnivores alike?
They both obtain energy by
consuming other organisms.
The total amount of living
tissue within a given
trophic level is called the
biomass
A model of the complex
feeding interactions among
organisms in a community
from producers to
decomposers is called a
Food web
What goes in Box 5
decomposers
A word that means the same
thing as consumer is
heterotroph
What are the three kinds of ecological
pyramids?
Biomass, energy, numbers
Animals that get energy by
eating the carcasses of
other animals that have
been killed by predators or
have died of natural causes
are called
scavengers
Each of the following is an
abiotic factor in the
environment EXCEPT
a. plant life.
b. soil type.
c. rainfall.
d. temperature.
a. Plant life
What animals eat both producers
and consumers?
omnivores
Organisms that break down
organic matter and return it
to the environment are called
decomposers
An ecologist who is studying a
group of ecosystems that have
similar climates and are home to
similar organisms is studying a
biome
Producers release ___________into
the atmosphere during the process of
photosynthesis.
oxygen
Animals that feed on
plants are called
consumers
In an ecological pyramid, the
biomass of living things _______
at each higher level.
decrease
Seawater, sand on a beach,
pebbles in the sand, and humidity
are all examples of _________
factors at a seashore.
abiotic
The study of interactions among
organisms and between
organisms and their physical
surroundings is called
ecology
Organisms within an ecosystem
are ____________________
factors in that ecosystem
biotic
Autotrophs capture energy from
sunlight or
____________________ to
produce food.
chemicals
Plant-eating animals such
as cows are called
____________________.
Herbivores/consumers
Why are decomposers
the final consumers in
every food chain?
In time, all living things die regardless of where
they are in the food chain. The decomposers
break down the remains of dead plants and
animals, releasing substances that are reused by
other organisms in the ecosystem.
List three biotic and three abiotic
factors that determine the
survival of a rabbit in a temperate
forest.
Biotic factors may include: plants the rabbit eats,
predators that eat the rabbit, and animals that
compete with the rabbit for food and territory.
Abiotic factors may include: temperature, rainfall,
and space.
Why might a pyramid of numbers
be turned upside down? Explain
your answer with an example.
Sometimes consumers are much less massive than the
organisms they feed upon. For example, thousands of
insects may graze on a single tree. The tree has a lot of
biomass, but it is only one organism. So the “base” of
the pyramid will be small and the next level up will be
wider.
How does a food web differ
from a food chain?
A food chain is a series of steps in which organisms
transfer energy by eating and being eaten. A food
web is a feeding relationship among the various
organisms in an ecosystem that forms a network of
complex interactions. A food web links all the food
chains in an ecosystem together.
Describe the two sources of
energy that fuel life on Earth, and
explain how they do so.
Sunlight is the main energy source for life on Earth, since it
fuels photosynthesis in plants, which make up most of Earth’s
primary producers. Inorganic chemical compounds provide
energy for Earth’s other primary producers, the organisms that
carry on chemosynthesis. Primary producers capture energy
from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce
food for themselves. They then become food for other
organisms.
How do carnivores, herbivores,
omnivores, and scavengers differ in
the way they obtain food?
Carnivores kill and eat other animals, herbivores eat
plants, and omnivores eat both plants and animals.
Scavengers eat carcasses of animals that have been
killed by predators or have died from natural causes.
What is at the base of all
ecological pyramids?
producers