| Question | Answer | 
| ecology | study of how organisms react with each other and their environment | 
| what are the levels of organization | individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere | 
| what are the biomes? | (The Bad Cook Made Fancy Dried Grapes) tundra, boreal, coniferous, marine, freshwater, deciduous, grasslands | 
| two main types of ecosystems? | aquatic and terrestrial | 
| biodiversity | number of different organisms in an area | 
| biome | large geographical region that has particular types of organisms and climate | 
| deciduous forest | -trees that lose their leaves in the fall -southern ontario -fertile soil -longer growing season -100cm precipitation wolves, bears, squirrels, shrubs, ferns, insects, woodepeckers, - | 
| boreal forests | -taiga -have trees with cones and needles -northern ontario -changeable weather -acidic soil -40cm precipitation -wolves, snowshoe hares, deer, birds, coniferous trees | 
| tundra | -no trees, only small shrubs, grasses, moss, lichen -ontario's northern coastline -permafrost -short growing season -mosses, lichen, foxes, caribou, polar bears | 
| grasslands | -few trees but many grasses and shrubs -Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta -25-75cm precipitation -high temp. -rich fertile soil -moles, mice, snakes, bison, hawks, grasshoppers, grasses | 
| temperate coniferous forests | -more types of cone and needle bearing trees than boreal -west BC, coastal regions -150-340cm precipitation (varies with elevation) -diverse plant life -high biomass levels -long degrading time | 
| marine biome | -oceans -coral reefs, ocean floor, intertidal zones -high salt -Ontario (the bays) | 
| freshwater biomes | -low salt -lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands -great lakes and st.lawrence | 
| Earth's spheres | -atmosphere -hydrosphere -lithosphere -biosphere | 
| parts of a food chain | producer, consumer(carnivore, omnivore and herbivore), scavenger, detrivore, decomposer | 
| how much energy is passed on through each interaction? | 10% | 
| limiting factors? | -nutrients -space -water -energy -predators | 
| nutrients | substances an organism uses to build and repair the cells of its body | 
| parts of the water cycle? | evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run-off, seepage, aquifers, transpiration, root uptake | 
| factors in survival of organisms? | competition, predation, symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism) | 
| biotic potential | maximum number of offspring a species could produce if resources were unlimited | 
| bioaccumulation | a toxic substance enters the food chain (pesticide or heavy metal) | 
| biomagnification | substance stays in food chain and is passed on from animal to animal, increasing in concentration | 
| Changes in new pesticides: | -soluble in water, not stored i fats of animals -broken down in the liver and excreted -break down quicker, must be applied often | 
| Cons of newer pesticides: | -not selective -like nerve gas | 
| resistance? | some insects have genes which give them the ability to survive certain pesticides | 
| resistance after pesticides? | -eventually whole insect population will be resistant -survivors can reproduce quickly without competition | 
| sustainable use | using an ecosystem's resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs | 
| major cause of decreased biodiversity | 1)habitat change 2)overexploitation 3)pollution 4)invasive species 5)climate change | 
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