Study Guide for the Unit 9 Science Exam – Ecological Organization

Layout

32 Multiple Choice Questions

3 Fill-in the blank Questions

2 Short Answer Questions

Terms to know:

Ecology -The scientific study of the interactions of living things with each other and their relationships with the environment.

Population - Organisms of the same species that live in the same area and interact with one another.

Community - Populations of different species that live in the same area and interact with one another.

Ecosystem - A natural unit consisting of all the living organisms in an area functioning together with all the nonliving physical factors of the environment.

Biosphere – The areas of Earth where all organisms live; extends from about 11,000 meters below sea level to 15,000 meters above sea level.

Niche - The role of a species in its ecosystem; includes all the ways species’ members interact with the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem.

1.  Examples of Abiotic Factors: __air currents, temperature, moisture, light, and soil.______

2.  Examples of Biotic Factors: _Any living organism.______

3.  Order of Ecological Levels from SMALLEST to LARGEST

_organism______à __population______à ___community______à __ecosystem______à____biosphere______

  1. Other names for Producers : ____photoautotrophs______, ___chemoautotrophs_______
  2. Original Source of Energy for Ecosystems = ____sun______
  3. Examples of:
  4. Producer – _____plants, grasses, algae, trees_______
  5. Primary Consumer – _grasshopper, zooplankton______
  6. Secondary Consumer – __mouse, fish______
  7. Tertiary Consumer – _snake, seal______
  8. Detrivore – ____earthworms, centipeades______
  9. Decomposer – __fungi, bacteria______
  10. Why are decomposers always at the end of a food chain/web? ___They break down the dead organisms and convert the nitrates back into nitrogen gas.______

8.  Energy Pyramids and trophic levels:

  1. What is at the base of the energy pyramid and WHY: ____Producers because they have the most energy and have the most biomass.______
  2. What is at the top of the energy pyramid and WHY: _Tertiary Consumers because they have the least amount of energy.______
  3. What does most of the energy from food get used for?: __metabolism______, ___heat______, _____respiration______
  4. How much energy is passed to the next trophic level? __10%______
  5. Does ENERGY get recycled? _____No______
  6. Water Cycle : Processes involved: ____Evaporation, Sublimation, and Transpiration,_ Condensation and Precipitation,___ Infiltration and Runoff,______
  7. Carbon Cycle: Reservoirs are __areas that store large amounts of carbon for long period of time or short periods of time.______

Examples of reservoirs: _____ocean, lakes, ponds, wetlands______

Processes involved: ____photosynthesis; Diffusion; Decomposition; Respiration; fossil fuel burning; ______

11.  Nitrogen Cycle:

Nitrogen fixation- ___The process of converting nitrogen gas to nitrate ions that plants can absorb;

  1. bacteria._ nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which secrete enzymes needed for the process______

______

  1. Nitrification - ___The process of converting ammonium ions to nitrites or nitrates.______

______

  1. Role players in cycle: __bacteria______, __producer______, ___nitrogen______

12.  Greenhouse Effect:

  1. Caused by: ______carbon dioxide from large carbon reservoir’s, decomposition of plants and animals, human influences of burning fossil fuels.______