UNIT ONE: Ecology
Chapter 2 Title: ______________________________________________________________
Page 1
BIG IDEA: _____________________ is required to __________________ materials through ___________________ and
_______________________ systems.
Sec 2.1Title ____________________________________________________________
Main Idea: ___________________ and ____________________ factors interact in complex ways in _____________________
and _________________________ .
Define the following Vocabulary Using Flashcards – ecology, biosphere, biotic factor, abiotic factor,
population, biological community, ecosystem, biome, habitat, niche, predation, symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism,
parasitism
A. Ecology - the scientific ______________________ in which the relationships among _________________ organisms and
the ____________________________ the ______________________ have with their __________________________ are studied.
Scientist who study ecology are called ____________________. They observe, experiment and model using a variety
of _____________________ and ____________________________. Since ecologist study living things and their environment,
their studies take place in the ______________.
B. Biosphere – the portion of the Earth that supports _______________. The biosphere is a _________________
layer. It extends several kilometers ________________ the Earth’s surface and extends several _____________
below the _________________ surface. It includes ____________________________, bodies of ________________________
and ______________________________, and all locations _________________ Earth’s surface that supports life.
C. Types of Factors
1. _________________ factors are the living factors in an organisms ___________________________. Examples can
include ________________________, ________________________, ___________________________, ____________________ etc.
2. __________________ factors are the nonliving factors in an ________________________ _________________________.
Examples can include ______________________, ___________________, _______________________, _________________ etc.
D. Levels of Organization - Levels ____________________ in complexity as the _________________ and ___________
_____________________ between organisms increase. The levels are:
1. _________________________ - lowest level of organization
2. ___________________________ - organisms of a single species that share the same ____________________
_______________________ at the same time
3. ________________________ ______________________________ - a group of _____________________ _______________________
that occupy the same geographic area at the same time
4. ________________________ - a biological community and all of the __________________ ________________ that
affect it
5. _________________________ - a large group of ecosystems that share the same ______________________ and
have similar types of __________________________
6. ________________________________ - highest level of organization made up of all of the _______________________
on Earth
Page 2
E. Ecosystem Interaction - Organisms and Their Relationships – A _______________________ is an area where
organisms live. A _________________ is the role or ________________________ that an organism has in its _________________.
F. Community Interactions
1. __________________________ occurs when more than one organism uses a _____________________ at one time
2. ___________________________ many species get their food by _______________________ other organisms
3. ___________________________ the close relationship that exists when two or more species _________ together
Types of Symbiosis
Mutualism –
Commensalism –
Parasitism –
Sec 2.2 Title _________________________________________________________________________________
Main Idea: ___________________________ capture energy, making it available for all members of a_______________ ___________.
Define the following Vocabulary Using Flashcards – autotroph, heterotroph, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore,
detritivore, trophic level, food chain, food web, biomass
A. Energy in an Ecosystem – organisms differ in how they obtain ___________________
1. _______________________ - organisms that collect energy form sunlight or inorganic substances to ____________ food.
2. ______________________ - organism that gets its energy requirements from consuming other ________________________.
Name that Heterotroph
Give some Examples
___________________________________ eats only plants
________________________________________________________
___________________________________ prey on other heterotrophs ________________________________________________________
___________________________________ eat both plants and animals
________________________________________________________
___________________________________ eats fragments of dead matter ________________________________________________________
B. Models of Energy Flow - _______________ ____________________ and ____________ _____________ model the energy flow
through an ecosystem. Each step in a food chain or food web is called a _______________________ ____________________.
1. A food chain is:
2. A food web is:
3. An ecological pyramid is a ____________________ that can show the relative amounts of ____________________,
__________________, or ________________________ or organisms at each trophic level in an ____________________________.
Sec 2.3 Title __________________________________________________________________
MAIN IDEA: Essential ___________________________ are cycle through _______________________________________ processes.
Define the following Vocabulary Using Flashcards – matter, nutrient, biogeochemical cycle, nitrogen fixation,
denitrification
A. Cycles in the Biosphere – Energy is transformed into __________________ forms to support the ____________ of an
______________________. The cycling of ____________________________ in the biosphere involves both matter in ____________________
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__________________________ and ______________________ processes found in the environment such as ______________________________.
THE WATER CYCLE - SEE FIGURE 2.17 P 46
Approximately ________ percent of_______________ _________________evaporates from oceans, lakes, and rivers; _______
percent evaporates from the surface of plants through a process called __________________________. Freshwater
constitutes only about ______percent of all water on Earth. About 69 percent of all freshwater is found in
_________ ____________ _________ _______________________.
THE CARBON – OXYGEN CYCLE - SEE FIG 2.18 P 47
___________________ and _____________________ often make up molecules essential for maintaining life. Carbon and
oxygen __________________ relatively __________________ through ______________________ organisms.
THE NITROGEN CYCLE – SEE FIG 2.20 P 48
The _______________________ and _________________________ of nitrogen into a form that is ____________________ by plants is
called ____________________ __________________________. Nitrogen enters the _______________ ____________ when _____________
absorb _________________ compounds from the _______________. Consumers get nitrogen from ___________________
__________________ or ___________________ that contain _________________________. Ammonification is a process of
________________________ dead organisms and ___________________ to release stored ______________________ in the form of
_________________________, (recycling) Nitrification involves soil _________________ transforming nitrogen into
________________________ and __________________________. Denitrification is when anaerobic bacteria breakdown
nitrates and release _______________________ __________ into the atmosphere. Nitrogen is returned to the soil :
1.
2.
3.
4.