Name____________________________________________________Date_______________________Period_________
Ecology and Behavior Study Guide
Basic Ecology Vocabulary
Abiotic factor
Carrying capacity
Mutualism
Biotic factor
Commensalism
Parasitism
1. ____________________________: A relationship that benefits BOTH living things.
2. ____________________________: A relationship that is good for one but bad for the other.
3. ____________________________: A relationship that benefits one organism and the other one doesn’t really
care.
4. ____________________________: Living things in an ecosystem.
5. ____________________________: Nonliving things in an ecosystem.
6. ____________________________: The limit to how large a population can grow.
Carbon Cycle
Carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis
Fossil Fuels
Respiration
7. ____________________________: This process removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
8. ____________________________: This process adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
9. ____________________________: Burning these adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, warming the planet.
10. ____________________________: Large amounts of this gas in the atmosphere may cause the climate to warm.
Human Impacts on the Environment
Acid Rain
Chlorofluorocarbons
Erosion
Invasive species
Algae blooms
Deforestation
Greenhouse gases
11. ____________________________: This process removes trees, destroying the habitats of some animals and
causing less carbon dioxide to be removed from the atmosphere by trees.
12. ____________________________: Dumping fertilizers and hog waste into lakes and streams causes this to
grow, which eventually kills fish and other aquatic organisms.
13. ____________________________: Plants or animals, such as kudzu, that may grow out of control if they are
brought to a place that has no natural predators.
14. ____________________________: This is caused when people cut down plants in order to build new homes or
parking lots. There are no longer any plants to hold down the soil when it rains.
15. ____________________________: This occurs when people burn fossil fuels and the fossil fuel smoke mixes
with rain. When it lands on plants, it kills them.
16. ____________________________: These are responsible for making a hole in the ozone layer. They are
released from spray bottles and refrigerators.
17. ____________________________: These are released when people burn fossil fuels. They warm the planet.
Animal Behavior
Chemotaxis
Habituation
Learned behavior
Suckling
Conditioning
Hibernation
Migration
Taxis
Courtship dances
Imprinting
Pheromones
Territorial
Estivation
Innate behavior
Phototaxis
Trial and Error
18. ____________________________: These are behaviors that animals are born knowing how to do.
19. ____________________________: These are behaviors that animals must learn how to do.
20. ____________________________: When animals are dormant (sleep) during the winter.
21. ____________________________: When animals are dormant (sleep) when it is hot outside.
22. ____________________________: Baby mammals do this to get milk.
23. ____________________________: When animals follow their parents around.
24. ____________________________: When animals move towards or away from something.
25. ____________________________: When animals follow a trail of chemicals.
26. ____________________________: When animals move towards or away from light.
27. ____________________________: Chemicals that animals release in order to communicate with other animals.
# of living things
# of living things
28. ____________________________: When animals are trained to respond in a certain way to a signal.
29. ____________________________: When animals move south for the winter.
30. ____________________________: When animals defend their habitat.
31. ____________________________: Learning to do things by trying over and over again in order to get a reward.
32. ____________________________: Behaviors used to attract a mate.
33. ____________________________: When an animal gets used to something and no longer responds to it.
Graphing Practice
34. In the box below, draw a graph of how a
35. In the box below, draw a graph of how a
population will grow if resources are unlimited.
population will grow if resources are limited.
Time
Time
36. Name two animals in the food web below that are competitors: ______________________________________
37. Which level of the trophic pyramid below contains the most energy from the sun? ________
38. Which level of the trophic pyramid below would contain the most toxin or poison? ________
Level D
Level C
Level B
Level A