Section 7.1 Review Answers and Concept Review

Ecology: the study of interactions of living organisms with their environment.

What Is An Ecosystem  An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms (biotic factors) in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical (abiotic) factors of the environment.

The Tundra

1. Give two Examples of two large and two small ecosystems? Large ecosystems include forests, deserts, oceans, and Earth as a whole. Small ecosystems include a spruce tree, the human body, an urban park, a pond, or a rotting log.

2. What is a sustainable ecosystem? A healthy environment that endures and supports a variety of organisms

3.What does sustain mean? Sustain means to endure and to support.

4. Explain how the Ruby-throated hummingbirds are dependent on more than one ecosystem? Ruby-throated hummingbirds live part of the year in a tropical rain forest, and then they stop in many ecosystems along the way as they migrate north in the spring. They spend the summer in meadows and wetlands in Canada.

5. Why is the America Eel important to it’s ecosystem? Eels eat insects, crustaceans, fish, frogs, and dead animals. They are prey for other fish, birds, and mammals. Both saltwater and freshwater species and their ecosystems are affected by a decrease in the eel population.

Symbiosis, Predation, Competition

6. What is Symbiosis?

Symbiosis is the interaction between members of two different species that live together in a close association.

7. What is Predation? Predation occurs when one organism (the predator) consumes another organism (its prey) for food.

7. What is Predation?

7. How does Predation effect ecosystems? The relationship between predators and their prey can influence the population of both the predator and the prey, as well as affect the entire ecosystem in which they live.

7. What is Competition? Competition occurs when two or more organisms compete for the same resource, such as food, in the same location at the same time.

7. What is Competition?

7. How does Competition effect ecosystems? Competition can influence the population size and success of a group of organisms. Sometimes, one group of organisms is outcompeted by another group.

8. List some biotic parts of the ecosystem you live in? Biotic parts could include people, pets, houseplants, crops, grass, insects, and bacteria.

9. List three abiotic factors and how each are effected by human activity. Any three of the following: water, light, oxygen, nutrients, and soil. Could have said any reasonable response regarding the effect that human activity could have on the abiotic part.

10. Describe abiotic and biotic characteristics of a temperate deciduous forest. The abiotic features of temperate deciduous forests include: –Receiving between 75 cm and 180 cm of precipitation per year, equally distributed throughout the year. –Seasonal changes between summer and winter are very large. Temperatures range from –30°C in winter to 30°C in summer. –Temperate deciduous forests have four distinct seasons and a long, warm growing season. –Fallen leaves that break down and release nutrients enrich the soil in temperate deciduous forests.

10. Describe abiotic and biotic characteristics of a temperate deciduous forest. The main biotic feature of temperate deciduous forests are: – trees that lose their leaves during the winter. –The forest has a complex structure that consists of plants that grow in four to five layers. –The many layers in the forest provide a variety of habitats for squirrels, rabbits, skunks, cougars, deer, wolves, bears, and amphibians. Squirrels, chipmunks, and blue jays store nuts and seeds in tree hollows. –Some mammals hibernate. Many birds migrate to warmer areas in winter.

11. What are two threats to the sustainability of temperate deciduous forest? Acid precipitation and clearcutting the forests