Name:Teacher: Per:Date:

ECOLOGY OVERVIEW WORKSHEET

VOCABULARY:Fill in the blanks with the terms below.

Abiotic factor Consumers Evaporation HerbivoresProducers

Biotic factors Community Food web Nitrogen fixationRespiration

BiosphereDecomposers Food chainOmnivoresTranspiration

BiomeEcosystemGround WaterPyramid of EnergyTrophic level

______1. organisms that can make their own food

______2. process where trees release water vapor in the atmosphere

______3. the portion of the earth in which all living things exist

______4. animals that live off of both plants and animals

______5. organisms that feed and breakdown the remains of other organisms

______6. chart the shows all of the possible feeding patterns within a community

______7. water found at a certain depth in the soil

______8. process in which bacteria change atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms

______9. the process of burning carbohydrates to release energy

______10. the process of changing liquid water into gas form

______11. large stable ecosystem

______12. plant eating animals

______13. organisms that must eat to obtain food and nutrients

______14. all of the populations in a certain area

______15. chart that shows the flow of energy though a series of feeding levels

______16. nonliving environmental factors

______17. plants, animals, and other living things in the ecosystem

______18. chart the shows the amount of energy exchanged between feeding levels

______19. all living things and the place where they live

______20. each level of energy flow in an ecosystem

FOOD WEBS

17. List the producers: ______

18. List the primary consumers (herbivores): ______

______

19. List the higher level consumers: ______

______

20. What is the initial source of energy for every ecosystem?

______

21. What would happen to the other organisms in the food web if...

  1. the grasses were all eaten by grasshoppers.

______

______

  1. all of the frogs died because of polluted water.

______

______

______

c. the hawks were all killed or captured by humans.

______

______

______

TROPHIC LEVELS

22. Which trophic level contains autotrophic organisms? _____

23. Which trophic level contains herbivores? _____

24. Which trophic level contains omnivores and/or carnivores? _____

25. Which trophic level contains the most available energy? _____

26. About how much of the energy is transferred to the next level? _____

27. If Level 1 contains 1,000 kcal of energy, how much energy will

ultimately be transferred to Level 3? ______kcal

WATER CYCLE

  1. Water can return to the atmosphere in what two ways? ______
  2. Where does all surface water run-off and groundwater ultimately empty into? ______

CARBON CYCLE

  1. How is carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere? ______

______

  1. How is carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere? ______

______

NITROGEN CYCLE

  1. How are bacteria important to the nitrogen cycle? ______

______

HUMAN IMPACT

  1. What is biological magnification? ______

______

Give an example: ______

ECOLOGY DYNAMICS

Fill in the blanks below with the term that best fits the example. Use the following terms:

A. communities B. biotic factors C. habitat D. niche E. abiotic factors F. symbiosis

______1. All plants and animals found in a pond ecosystem.

______2. Certain bacteria have such a close dependency on humans that they cannot survive without them.

______3. The forest in which a deer lives.

______4. Frogs require a nearby source of water for respiration and reproductive purposes, thus they spend time in or near water for their entire lives.

______5. All living factors in an ecosystem (plants, animals, etc.)

______6. All nonliving factors such as climate and temperature.

SYMBIOSIS: Each of the following situations describes a form of symbiosis. After each situation, write the type of symbiosis that is being described. Then explain why this form of symbiosis applies to this situation.

A. parasitism B. commensalism C. mutualism

  1. A flowering plant cannot pollinate another plant unless pollen is transported between the plants. While gathering nectar from the plant’s flowers, a bee is lightly dusted with pollen. The bee then transports the pollen as it moves from one flower to another. This enables the flowering plant to reproduce.______

2. A liver fluke enters the human digestive system on a piece of beef. The fluke derives nourishment from the human; the human is seriously weakened by the presence of the fluke. ______

3. A fungus that cannot make its own food absorbs sugars and other nutrients from plant roots; the fungus also absorbs from the soil certain minerals that can be used by the plant and which the plant has difficulty obtaining by itself. ______

  1. Tall trees provide birds with a place to nest that offers them protection against many kinds of predators. ______
  1. A blind human is able to move about safely with the help of a guide dog. The human provides the dog with food, shelter, and medical care. ______

Factors That Control Population Growth: Each statement below describes a situation affecting population growth. Write a “D” in the spaces that describe density-dependent limiting factors, and write an “I” for density-independent limiting factors

_____1. A severe frost wipes out 50 percent of the citrus crop in southern Florida.

_____2. Since snakes prey on frogs, an increase in the frog population causes an increase in the snake population.

_____3. Due to severe overcrowding in an Asian village, many children do not survive to reach adulthood.

_____4. The eruption of Mt. St. Helens destroys most of the wildlife in the immediate vicinity of the volcano.

_____5. Two animals attempt to occupy the same niche, causing the death of the weaker one.

_____6. Travelers who venture into a crowded African village become infected with a disease caused by parasites.

_____7. Fish on a coral reef stake out their territory and chase away any younger fish that try to live there.

_____8. Due to stress, large numbers of female mice miscarry their young and fail to reproduce.

BIOMES: Refer to the drawing and your notes to the right to answer the following.

  1. Which biome is the coldest?
  1. Which biome is the warmest and driest?
  1. Which biome is the warmest and wettest?
  1. Which biome has the most diversity of life? Explain why.
  1. Which biome has coniferous (cone-bearing) trees?
  1. Which biome makes the best farmland (for crops and cattle)? Why?
  1. Which two biomes have the least amount of precipitation?
  1. Why is the rainforest a bad choice for supporting agriculture?
  1. Which biome do most animals live high in the canopy to escape predators?
  1. Which biome would long legs for running be a good adaptation, because there is no place to hide from predators?
  1. Which biome has plants that have water-storing stems?

GROWTH RATES

1. How are predator and prey relationships important to an ecosystem?

2. When does competition increase in a population?

3. What is carrying capacity?

4. What two things influence growth rate?

5. Discuss the three types of growth rates.