vocabulary terms in chapter 13 and chapter 14

13.1
- Ecology is the study of the interactions among living things and between living things
and their surroundings
- community a community is a group of different species that live together in one area
like alligators
- ecosystem in ecosystem includes all of the organism as well as the climate, soil, water,
rocks and other non-living things in a given area
- biome a biome is a major regional or Global community of organisms
- Organism an organism is an individual living thing
- population a population is a group of the same species that live in one area
13.2
- Biotic factors are living things such as plants ,animals ,fungi And bacteria
- Abiotic factors are nonliving things such as moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight and
soil
- biodiversity is the assortment, or Variety , of living things in an ecosystem
- a keystone species is a species that has an unusually large effect on the ecosystem (
a keystone species holds together a dynamic ecosystem)
13.3
● Producers are organisms that get their energy from nonliving thing resources meaning
they make their own food
● producers are also called autotrophs (They make their own food )
● Consumers are organisms that get their energy by eating other living things or once
living resources such as plants and animals
● Consumers are also called heterotrophs (They get their food from eating other living
once things living resources )
● Chemosynthesis is the produce by which an organism forms carbohydrates using
chemicals rather than light as an energy source
13.4
● a food chain a sequence that lynx species spider feeding relationship
● herbivores are organisms that eat only plants
● carnivores are organisms that eat only meat
● omnivores are organisms that eat both plants and animals
● Detritivores are organisms that eat detritus , or dead organic matter
● decomposers are detritivores that break down organic matter into simpler compounds
fungi for example are decomposers
● Generalist are consumers that have a varying diet for example the diet of gray wolves
may include a number of animals including elk, moose, white-tailed deer
● trophic levels are the levels of nourishment In a food chain
Primary consumers are herbivores because they are the first consumer above the
produce trophic level
secondary consumers are carnivores that eat herbivores
Tertiary consumers are carnivores that eat secondary consumers
● a food web is a model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships
 13.5
● The hydraulic cycle, also known as the water cycle is the circular pathway of water on
Earth from the atmosphere to the surface below the ground and back
● the biochemical cycle is the movement of a particular chemical through the biological
and geological or living and non-living parts of an ecosystem
● nitrogen fixations is the process of certain types of bacteria convert gaseous nitrogen
into ammonia
13.6
● Biomass is a measure of the total drama size of organisms in a given area
● an energy pyramid is a diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary
consumers, and other trophic levels
14.1
● A habitat can be described as all of the biotic and abiotic factors in the area where an
organism lives
● an ecologic niche is composed of all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors
that a species needs to survive, stay healthy and reproduce
● Competitive exclusion states that when two species are competing for the same
resources, one species will be better suited to the niche oh, and other species will be
pushed into another niche or become extinct
● ecological equivalents are species that occupy similar niche but live in different
geographical regions
14.2
● Competition occurs when two organisms fight for the same limited resources
● meditation is the process of which one organism captures and feeds upon another
organism ( like Snakes)
● symbolism is a closed ecological relationship between two or more organisms of a
different species that live in direct contact with one another
● mutualism is an interspecies interaction in which both organisms benefit from one
another
● Commensalism is a relationship between two organisms in which one receives an
ecological benefit from another while the other neither benefits nor is harmed
● Parasitism is a relationship similar to predation in that one organism benefits while the
other is harmed
14.3
● Population density is a measurement of the number of individuals living in a defined
space
● population desperation is the way in which individuals of a population are spread in an
area or a volume
clumped dispersion individuals may live close together in groups in order to make, Gain
protection, or ACCESS food resources
uniform dispersion limited resources lead to individual sitting at specific distance from
one another
random dispersion individuals are spread randomly within an area or volume
 ● a survivorship curve is a generalized diagram shows the number of surviving members
overtime from a measured set of births
14.4
● Immigration is the movement of individuals into a population from another population
● Emigration is the movement of individuals out of the population and into another
population
● exponential growth occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a. Of
time
● logistic growth is a population that begins with a. Of slow growth followed by a brief
period of exponential growth before leveling of a stable size
● the carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum number of individuals of a
particular species that the environment can normally and constantly support
● a population class is a dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short. Of time
● limited factors are the factors that has the greatest effect in keeping down the size
popular
● density dependent limiting factors are limiting factors that are affected by the number of
individuals in a given area
● density independent limiting factors are the aspects of the environment that limit a
population's growth regardless of the density of the population
14.5
● Succession is the sequence of biotic changes that regenerate a damaged Community
or create a community in a previously inhabited area
● Primary succession is The Establishment and development of an ecosystem in an
area that was previously inhabited
● pioneer species are the first organisms that live in a previously inhabited area
● Secondary succession Is the Reese table shipment of a damaged ecosystem in an
area where the soil was left intact

Sections 13.1/13.2 Ecologists Study Relationships/Biotic & Abiotic Factors

Describe the levels of ecological organization.

- population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.

Compare & contrast ecological research methods (modeling, experimentation, observation)

including Contrast biotic and abiotic factors. Be able to identify examples of each.
- The three main research methods used are observation, modeling, and experimentation.
- Observation is viewing the natural world 
- quantities of data are gathered by category 
- in which one or more variables are consciously manipulated and the outcome or 
effect of that manipulation on other variables is observed. 
Sections 13.3/13.4/13.5- Energy in Ecosystems/Food Chains & Food
Webs/biogeochemical cycles

Compare and contrast photosynthesis & chemosynthesis.

- photosynthesis is powered by sunlight while chemosynthesis runs on chemical energy.

Describe the role of producers and consumers in an ecosystem? In the biogeochemical cyles?
Explain how food chains and trophic levels are related.
- A producer captures energy and stores that energy in food as chemical energy
- Consumers obtain energy and nutrients from producers as they cannot make their own
food.
- A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass
as one organism eats another. In a food chain, each organism occupies a different
trophic level, defined by how many energy transfers separate it from the basic input of
the chain.
Analyze feeding relationships in a food web.
- feeding relationships in any ecosystem, but energy always flows from primary producers
to various consumers. A food chain is a sequence in which organisms transfer energy
by eating and being eaten

Compare and contrast how matter and energy move/flow through the ecosystems.
- Matter flows through the ecosystem in the form of the non-living nutrients essential to
living organisms

Review the biogeochemical cycles: Carbon and nitrogen cycles specifically

- Carbon Cycle: Carbon cycle is a series of processes by which compounds of carbon
are interconverted in ecosystems. Nitrogen Cycle: Nitrogen cycle is the series of
processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in ecosystems
What is nitrification and denitrification?
- Nitrification involves the conversion of reduced nitrogen compounds into oxidized forms.
Denitrification involves the conversion of oxidized nitrogen compounds into reduced
forms.
Sections 14.1, 14.3/14.4- Population Density & Distribution/Population Growth Patterns
What is a niche?
- a niche is the match of a species to a specific environmental condition

Describe predator/prey relationships and the importance of relationship

- The predator prey relationship consists of the interactions between two species and their
consequent effects on each other
- In the predator prey relationship, one species is feeding on the other species.
- The prey species is the animal being fed on,
- and the predator is the animal being fed.
Calculate population density.
 - you will divide the population by the size of the area. Thus, Population Density = Number
of People/Land Area. The unit of land area should be square miles or square kilometers.
-
Describe the 3 types of population dispersion, including examples & characteristics of each.
- clumped dispersion individuals may live close together in groups in order to make, Gain
protection, or ACCESS food resources
- uniform dispersion limited resources lead to individual sitting at specific distance from
one another
- random dispersion individuals are spread randomly within an area or volume
Describe the 3 basic types of survivorship curves in relation to reproductive strategies and be
able to recognize.
- Type I curves depict individuals that have a high probability of surviving to adulthood
- Type II curves depict individuals whose chance of survival is independent of age
- Type III curves depict individuals that mostly die in the early stages of their life
- exponential growth occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a. Of
time
- logistic growth is a population that begins with a. Of slow growth followed by a brief
period of exponential growth before leveling of a stable size
- the carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum number of individuals of a
particular species that the environment can normally and constantly support
- a population clas s is a dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short. Of time
Describe the four factors that affect population size.
- Immigration is the movement of individuals into a population from another population
- birth , births increase the number of individuals in a population
- Emigration is the movement of individuals out of the population and into another
population
- deaths , the size in a population decreases when individuals die
Describe and Compare exponential and logistic population growth. Give examples
- exponential growth occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a. Of time
- logistic growth is a population that begins with a. Of slow growth followed by a brief
period of exponential growth before leveling of a stable size
Identify factors which limit population growth. Be able to recognize density-dependent &
density-independent factors.
- Limitations to population growth are either density-dependent or density-independent.
Density-dependent factors include disease, competition, and predation.
Density-dependant factors can have either a positive or a negative correlation to
population size.

- density dependent limiting factors are limiting factors that are affected by the number of
individuals in a given area
- density independent limiting factors are the aspects of the environment that limit a
population's growth regardless of the density of the population