Chapter 3: The Biosphere

  1. What is ecology?
  1. Define the levels of organization in the biosphere:

Biosphere

Biome

Ecosystem

Community

Population

  1. How do biotic and abiotic parts of the environment interact to affect the survival of organisms?
  1. What is primary production? Why are producers essential for any ecosystem?
  1. Are consumers and decomposers also essential for a balanced ecosystem? Explain why.
  1. What is a trophic level?

How much energy in any level is available for the next higher level in most food chains?

Why/how does this limit the total number of trophic levels in an ecosystem?

  1. How is a pyramid of energy similar to a pyramid of biomass?

How are they different?

  1. How does the way that matter (chemicals) moves through the biosphere differ from the way energy flows?

Why is it important for nutrient materials to cycle?

  1. List four substances that cycle between living and nonliving parts of the environment.

How do photosynthesis and respiration maintain balanced oxygen and carbon cycles?

Chapter 4: Ecosystems and Communities

  1. What are some factors that determine climate?
  1. What is an ecological niche?

How does an organism’s niche and competition among organisms shape communities?

  1. What is symbiosis?
  1. Describe how mutualism differs from commensalism and give an example of each.

Mutualism

Commensalism

How is parasitism different from a predator-prey relationship?

Parasitism

Predator-prey

  1. What is ecological succession and why does it happen?

How is primary succession different from secondary succession?

  1. What determines which biome exists in an area?

What is the taiga?

How does altitude affect terrestrial biomes?

Chapter 5: Populations

  1. Identify some limiting factors that control the size of a population?
  1. Give some examples of density-dependent limiting factors. Why do they depend on density of the population?

Give some examples of density-independent factors. They do not depend on the density of the population.

Explain why.

  1. What is carrying capacity?

List some reasons why populations don’t increase indefinitely.

  1. Describe three ways humans affect regional and global environments.

1)

2)

3)

  1. Why does pollution affect organisms at the top of the food chain more than those at lower trophic levels? (biological magnification)
  1. Why is thinning of the ozone layer harmful to living things?
  1. Why are biodegradable wastes better than non- biodegradable?
  1. Name some air pollutants and explain how they warm the earth’s surface temperature.

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