Ecology Test Review

Front

What is a food web?

Back

A food web is a complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem, showing how energy and nutrients flow through different trophic levels.

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What is competition in ecology?

Back

Competition is an ecological interaction where two or more organisms vie for the same resources, such as food, space, or mates, which can limit their growth and survival.

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What is nitrogen fixation?

Back

Nitrogen fixation is the process by which certain bacteria convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonia, making it available for use by plants.

Front

What are abiotic factors?

Back

Abiotic factors are the non-living components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, water, temperature, and nutrients, that influence living organisms.

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What are estuaries?

Back

Estuaries are coastal wetlands formed where freshwater from rivers meets and mixes with saltwater from the sea, providing a unique habitat for diverse species.

Front

What is a food chain?

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

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What is predation?

Back

Predation is an ecological interaction where one organism (the predator) hunts and consumes another organism (the prey) for food.

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What is mutualism?

Back

Mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction, such as bees pollinating flowers while feeding on nectar.

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What is commensalism?

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Commensalism is a type of ecological interaction where one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed, such as barnacles attaching to a whale.

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What is denitrification?

Back

Denitrification is the process by which bacteria convert nitrates in the soil back into nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere.