Ecology I Study Guide
1. Define deciduous forest. A biome characterized by the loss of its leaves during the Fall.
2. Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores are all consumers.
3. Define the following:
a. Prey – the organism that is eaten
b. Predator – the organism that eats the prey
c. Producer – organisms that use sunlight directly to make food
d. Consumer- organisms that eat other organisms
e. Decomposer- organisms that get energy by breaking down dead organisms
f. Mutualism – a relationship where both organisms benefit
g. Commensalism – a relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the
other is unaffected
h. Parasitism - a relationship between two species in which one, the parasite, benefits
form the other, the host, which is harmed
i.
Competition – when two or more individuals or populations try to use the same
resource, such as food, water, shelter, space, or sunlight
j.
Abiotic (list 3 examples) – non-living organisms (water, air, soil)
k. Biotic (list 3 examples) – living organisms (plants, animals, bacteria)
l.
Energy source – the sun
m. Omnivore – a consumer that eats both plants and animals
n. Herbivore – a consumer that only eats plants
o. Carnivore – a consumer that eats only animals
p. Dichotomous Key - an aid that is used to identify organisms and consists of the
answers to a series of questions
q. Food Chain – the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the
feeding patterns of a series of organisms
r. Food Web – a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an
ecosystem
s. Energy Pyramid – a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem’s loss of energy, which
results as energy passes through the ecosystem’s food chain, each row in the pyramid
represents a trophic (feeding) level in an ecosystem, and the area of a row represents
the energy stored in that trophic level.
t. Limiting Factor – a resource that is so scarce that it limits the size of a population
u. Permafrost – in the polar tundra, the layer of soil beneath the surface soil that stays
frozen all the time
v. Hypothesis - an explanation that is based on prior scientific research or observations
and that can be tested.
4. The five levels of organization in the environment from 1st to 5th level are:
Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere
5. List the steps of the scientific method.
1. Ask a question
2. Form a hypothesis
3. Test the hypothesis
4. Analyze the results
5. Draw conclusions
6. Communicate results
6. List the major biomes and information regarding plants, animals, climate, and locations.
BIOMES: Describe the location, climate, abiotic factors and organisms of each.
Biome
Location
Climate
Precipitation
Desert
Africa,
Australia,
Asia, North
and South
America
Every
continent
except
Antarctica
Canada,
Russia
Mean Temperature
38C/Summer 7C/Winter
Mean
Precipitation
Less than 25cm
Mean Temperature
30C/Summer – 0C/Winter
Mean
Precipitation
25 – 75cm
Mean Temperature
-10C/Winter to 14C/Summer
Mean
Precipitation
35 - 75cm
Savanna/Grassland
Taiga/Coniferous
Forest
Deciduous Forest
USA,
Europe,
Asia
Mean Temperature
28C Summer
6C Winter
Mean
Precipitation
75 – 125 cm
Abiotic
Factors
Lots of Sun,
air, lack of
water
Sun, air,
water
Seasonal
rain
Sun, air,
water
Biotic Factors


Lizard
Cactus

Largest land
animals (bison,
elephants)

Deer, moose,
porcupines
Cone bearing
trees/evergreen
Ferns, mosses,
trees that shed
leaves
Rabbits,
squirrels
Woody vines,
diverse plants
Toucans,
butterflies,

Sun, air,
water


Tropical Rain
Forest
South
America,
Africa,
Pacific
Mean Temperature
20C/nighttime –
34C/daytime
Mean
Precipitation
Up to 400cm
Lots of Sun,
air, lots of
water


Islands,
Near the
equator
North and
South Poles
Tundra
Biome
Marine
Location
Ocean
Estuary
Where fresh
and salt
water meet
Freshwater
Rivers,
lakes, and
ponds
diverse animals
Mean Temperature
12C/Summer –
-26C/Winter
Climate
Intertidal Zone – where
ocean meets the land
Sunlight present
Neritic Zone-ocean floor
begins to slope downward
Sunlight present
Oceanic Zone-sea floor
drops sharply, deep water of
ocean
Sunlight present only near
surface
Benthic zone-ocean floor, no
sunlight
Littoral – near the shore,
sunlight present
Open water – away from
shore but on the surface,
sunlight present
Deep water – away from
shore near the bottom, no
sunlight present
Mean
Precipitation
30-50cm
Lack of Sun,
air, lack of
water


Caribou, polar
bear, penguins
Grasses, small
shrubs
Abiotic Factors
Water temperature, water
depth, amount of sunlight
Biotic Factors
Grasses, periwinkle
snails, herons
Water temperature, water
depth, amount of sunlight
Plankton , corals,
sea turtles, fish,
dolphins
Fish, whale, shark
Plankton near the
surface
Water temperature, water
depth, amount of sunlight
Water temperature, water
depth, amount of sunlight
Changes in amounts of salt
and fresh water
Speed of water
Fish, worms, crabs,
bacteria
Plankton, plants
and animals which
survive with
constant change in
salt concentration
Algae, catfish,
salmon, bass
7. Water Biomes
1. What are abiotic and biotic factors of the marine ocean?
Amount of sunlight
2. What is an estuary? An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the
ocean
3. What are abiotic and biotic factors of freshwater biomes such as….
a. Rivers – speed of water
b. Lakes and Ponds – abiotic – sunlight, biotic – algae, cattails, frogs, turtles
8. Define food web and be able to read one and answer questions. Use the food web below as
an example. Who are the producers? Who are the primary consumers? What would happen to
the cougar population if the deer increased in population? What would happen to the grasses
if the grasshopper population increased?
Food Web – a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an
ecosystem
seeds
grass
tree
9. Define dichotomous key and be able to use one. Use the example below for practice.
Dichotomous Key – an aid that is used to identify organisms and consists of the answers to a
series of questions
Identify each.
A.?
B.?