About this Flash Card Set
16 Cards
by olivia_bennett
Explore how living things interact with each other and their environment, from food webs to symbiosis. A warm, clear review of the core ideas in ecology.
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What is an ecosystem?
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A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their nonliving environment (like water, soil, and air) in a particular area — such as a pond or forest.
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What is a biome?
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A large geographic region defined by its climate, plants, and animals. Examples include tropical rainforest, desert, tundra, and grassland.
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Habitat vs. niche — what is the difference?
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A habitat is where an organism lives (its 'address'). A niche is its role in the ecosystem — how it gets food, interacts with others, and uses resources (its 'job').
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What is a producer?
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An organism that makes its own food, usually through photosynthesis. Plants and algae are producers, forming the base of the food chain. Also called autotrophs.
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What are primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers?
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Primary consumers eat producers (herbivores). Secondary consumers eat primary consumers. Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers — often top predators.
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What is a decomposer?
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An organism, like bacteria or fungi, that breaks down dead organisms and waste, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
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Food chain vs. food web — what is the difference?
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A food chain shows a single path of energy from one organism to the next. A food web connects many overlapping food chains, showing the real complexity of who eats whom.
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What is a trophic level?
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A feeding level in a food chain. Producers are the first level, primary consumers the second, and so on. Energy is passed up from one level to the next.
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What is an energy pyramid, and the 10% rule?
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A diagram showing energy at each trophic level. Only about 10% of energy transfers to the next level — the rest is lost mostly as heat. That is why food chains are short.
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What role does photosynthesis play in an ecosystem?
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It captures sunlight and converts it into chemical energy (glucose), bringing energy into the ecosystem. Producers then pass this energy to consumers.
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Herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore — define each.
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An herbivore eats only plants (a deer). A carnivore eats only animals (a lion). An omnivore eats both plants and animals (a bear or a human).
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What is a predator-prey relationship?
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A predator hunts and eats another organism, the prey. For example, an owl (predator) hunting a mouse (prey). It helps control population sizes.
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What is symbiosis? Name the three main types.
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A close, long-term relationship between two species. The three types are mutualism (both benefit), commensalism (one benefits, other unaffected), and parasitism (one benefits, other harmed).
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Give an example of mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
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Mutualism: a bee pollinating a flower while getting nectar. Commensalism: a barnacle riding on a whale. Parasitism: a tick feeding on a dog.
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What is the carbon cycle?
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The continuous movement of carbon through the environment. Producers absorb CO2 in photosynthesis; respiration, decomposition, and burning fossil fuels release it back into the air.
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What is biodiversity, and why does it matter?
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The variety of life in an area — different species, genes, and ecosystems. High biodiversity makes an ecosystem more stable and resilient to change.
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