Unit 2 – Ecology Review (Chapters 3,4,5,6)
Vocabulary List: You should familiarize yourself with the glossary definition as well as the context in which these words are used in your text. (for example for ozone layer, not only the definition is important, but also explain what is happening to it and why that is important)
Study tip: Start early and give yourself an unlimited amount of quiet study time to write down and test your vocabulary knowledge. Make flash cards to quiz yourself. Quiz your friends!
Ecology, biosphere, species, population, community, ecosystem, biome, autotroph, producer, photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, heterotroph, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, detritivore, decomposer, food chain, food web, trophic level, ecological pyramid, biomass, biogeochemical cycle, evaporation, transpiration, nutrient, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, primary productivity, limiting nutrient, algal bloom, weather, climate, greenhouse effect, biotic factor, abiotic factor, habitat, niche, resource, competitive exclusion principle, predation, symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, ecological succession, pioneer species, secondary succession, biome, population density, immigration, emigration, exponential growth, logistic growth, carrying capacity, limiting factor predator-prey relationship, density-dependent limiting factor, density-independent limiting factor, demography, demographic transition, age-structure diagram, agriculture, monoculture, green revolution, renewable resource, nonrenewable resource, sustainable development, soil erosion, desertification, deforestation, smog, pollutant, acid rain, biodiversity, ecosystem diversity, species diversity, genetic diversity, extinction, endangered species, habitat fragmentation, biological magnification, invasive species, conservation, ozone layer, global warming.
Concept Mastery:
1. Identify the levels of organization that ecologists study
2. Describe the methods used to study ecology
3. Identify the source of energy for life processes
4. Trace the flow of energy through living systems (10% rule, # of trophic levels, food webs)
5. Evaluate the efficiency of energy transfer among organisms in an ecosystem
6. Describe how matter cycles among the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem
7. Explain why nutrients are important in living systems (carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, water cycle)
8. Describe how the availability of nutrients affects the productivity of ecosystems
9. Explain how Earth’s temperature range is maintained
10. Explain how biotic/abiotic factors influence an ecosystem
11. Identify interactions that occur within communities
12. Describe how ecosystems recover from a disturbance
13. List the characteristics used to describe a population
14. Identify factors that affect population size
15. Differentiate between exponential and logistic growth
16. Identify factors that limit population growth
17. Differentiate between density-dependent and density-independent limiting factors
18. Describe how the size of the human population has changed over time
19. Explain why population growth rates differ in countries throughout the world
20. Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere
21. Explain how environmental resources are classified
22. Identify the characteristics of sustainable development
23. Describe how human activities affect land, air and water resources
24. Define biodiversity and explain its value
25. Identify current threats to biodiversity
26. Describe the goal of conservation biology
27. Describe two types of global change that are of concern to biologists