Week #1 Review

Organization of Environment:

For each of the following, determine if it represents a Biome, Ecosystem, Community, Population or Organism

Biome / Ecosystem / Community / Population / Organism
Tundra
Ponds and Lakes
Rabbit
Boreal Forests
Aquatic
Murder of Crows
Rivers and Streams
Temperate Forest
Grasslands
Hot and Dry Desert
Estuaries
Alpine Tundra
Wolf and Cougar competing for Elk
Cold Desert
Forests
Tropical Forests
Temperate Grasslands
Desert
Pod of Whales
Coral Reefs
Coastal Desert
Bird pollinated flower
Savanna
Semi-arid Desert
Dolphin
Wetlands
Clown fish living in Sea Anemone
Arctic Tundra
Ocean
Baleen Whale eating Plankton

For each description of a niche--identify the different components of their niche.

Oak Tree

  1. absorb sunlight by photosynthesis ( )
  2. absorb water and mineral salts from the soil ( )
  3. provide shelter for many animals and other plants ( )
  4. act as a support for creeping plants ( )
  5. serve as a source of food for animals ( )
  6. cover the ground with their dead leaves in the autumn ( )

Hedgehog Niche

They rummage about in the flowerbeds eating a variety of insects and other invertebrates which live underneath the dead leaves and twigs in the flowerbeds. ( ). Hedgehogs cannot groom themselves properly. All those spines on their backs make a superb environment or microhabitat for fleas and ticks ( ). But the spines provide some protection against predators, but wolves can often be found eating these little creatures ( ).

Hedgehogs put nitrogen back into the soil when they urinate! I don’t know how much nitrogen they put into the soil but it probably helps the plants if they do. ( )They eat slugs, so that reduces the effect which slugs have on the flowers ( ).

Ecological Term / Definition
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
Habitat
Niche
Food Web
Producer
Consumer
Primary Consumer
Secondary Consumer
Tertiary Consumer
Quarternary Consumer
Autotroph
Heterotroph
Scavenger
Decomposer
Energy Pyramid
Bobcat / Eats small mammals and insects / Earthworms / Eats Dead Organic Matter
Raccoon / Eats invertebrates, plants and berries. / Moles / Eats insects
Squirrel / Eats Fungi, Twigs, Bark, and Seeds / Mice / Eats fruit, seeds, grass
Snake / Eats small mammals, small amphibians, small reptiles. / Skunks / Eat insects and plants
Shrew / Eats small rodents and insects. / Bears / Eats small and large mammals, insects and plants
Hawk / Easts small mammals and small birds. / Rabbits / Eats grasses and plants
Owl / Eats small mammals (including skunks), small reptiles. / Porcupine / Eats plants and shrubs
Frogs / Eats insects / Deer / Eats grass and twigs
Toads / Eats invertebrates / Fox / Eats small mammals, invertebrates, plants and berries.
Robin / Eats berries and invertebrates / Berry eating Insects / Grass eating insects
Turtles / Eats small plants, and invertebrates / Ferns / Raspberry Bush
Evergreen Tree / Grasses
Opossums / Eats small fruits and invertebrates / Blueberry Bush / Leafy Shrubs
Deciduous Trees / Seed Producing Trees

Create a food web showing the relationships between all organisms using arrows. Then assuming the sun provides 1,000,000 million units of energy to the producers, determine how much energy is available at each trophic level. Then choose one of the following scenario's to apply to your ecosystem and analyze the result.