All Flashcards
What is the effect of removing a keystone species?
Can lead to ecosystem collapse or significant changes in community structure and function.
What is the effect of overgrazing by herbivores?
Reduced plant biomass, soil erosion, habitat loss, and changes in plant species composition.
What is the effect of introducing a non-native predator?
Can decimate native prey populations that lack defenses, leading to ecological imbalances.
What is the effect of increased competition for limited resources?
Can lead to resource partitioning, natural selection, or the exclusion of less competitive species.
What are the consequences of deforestation on trophic levels?
Loss of producers, reduced biodiversity, disruption of food webs, and decreased carbon sequestration.
What are the effects of pollution on aquatic food webs?
Bioaccumulation of toxins in higher trophic levels, reduced biodiversity, and disruption of ecosystem functions.
What is the effect of climate change on predator-prey relationships?
Changes in species distribution, altered timing of life cycle events, and mismatches in predator-prey interactions.
What is the effect of removing decomposers from an ecosystem?
Nutrient cycling slows down, organic matter accumulates, and the availability of nutrients for producers decreases.
Define trophic level.
Position an organism occupies in a food chain or food web.
Define autotroph.
Organism that produces its own food, using sunlight or chemical energy.
Define heterotroph.
Organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms.
Define primary consumer.
An organism that eats producers (herbivore).
Define secondary consumer.
An organism that eats primary consumers (carnivore).
Define tertiary consumer.
An organism that eats secondary consumers (top carnivore).
Define food chain.
Linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.
Define food web.
Interconnected network of food chains in an ecosystem.
Define scavenger.
Organism that consumes dead animals.
Define detritivore.
Organism that feeds on dead organic material (detritus).
Define decomposer.
Organism that breaks down dead organic matter into simpler substances.
Define mutualism.
Symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.
Define commensalism.
Symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.
Define parasitism.
Symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
Define keystone species.
Species with a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance.
Define trophic level.
Position an organism occupies in a food chain or food web.
Define autotroph.
Organism that produces its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy.
Define heterotroph.
Organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms.
Define herbivore.
An animal that eats only plants.
Define carnivore.
An animal that eats only other animals.
Define food chain.
A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.
Define food web.
Interconnected network of food chains in an ecosystem.
Define scavenger.
An animal that feeds on dead or decaying matter.
Define detritivore.
An organism that feeds on dead organic material (detritus).
Define decomposer.
Organism that breaks down dead organic matter into simpler substances.
Define mutualism.
A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.
Define commensalism.
A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.
Define parasitism.
A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
Define keystone species.
A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its ecosystem relative to its abundance.