The study of the interaction of organisms with each other and their environment involves non-living factors, also called _________________, and living factors, which are referred to as __________________.
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abiotic components; biotic components
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Which of the following options lists the ecological hierarchy in the correct order, from largest to smallest?
A scientist is studying how sea slugs respond to predators. Which hierarchical level of ecology does this represent?
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community
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Which hierarchical level is represented by a survey of students and their habits?
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population
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What is the largest hierarchical level that global warming affects?
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biosphere
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Which of these is a biotic component of an environment?
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bacteria on the surface of your skin
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Desert owls are inactive during the day and active at night. They also have small bodies. This describes _____ adaptation to the hot and dry desert.
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anatomical and behavioral
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Horned lizards are desert animals that are active during the day. Their skin and kidneys are efficient at conserving water; when they get hot, they move to the shade so they can cool off. This describes _____ adaptation to the hot and dry desert.
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anatomical, behavioral, and physiological
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Cacti are desert plants with C4 metabolism. In addition, cacti bloom at night. This describes _____ adaptation to the hot and dry desert.
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behavioral and physiological
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Which of these would NOT contribute to a global increase in temperature?
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planting trees
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Switching from fossil fuels to _____ energy would significantly decrease the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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solar, nuclear, and geothermal
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Which best describes how the atmosphere's CO2 content was regulated before the Industrial Revolution?
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CO2 was released by organisms as a by-product of cellular respiration; a similar amount of CO2 was absorbed by plants and other producers.
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The interior of a car gets hot quickly on a warm sunny day. Solar radiation enters through the windows. It is absorbed by the seats and other materials inside the car. Some of it is radiated as heat. Much of the heat is retained by the windows, which letlight in but don't let heat out as easily. Now apply this analogy to the global atmosphere. What is the role of CO2?
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CO2 acts like the car windows; it lets sunlight through, then traps the heat that is radiated by Earth.
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Today's atmospheric CO2 concentration is _____.
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about 35% higher than it was before 1850
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Most models predict that continued increases in atmospheric CO2 will cause global temperatures to _____ over the next 100 years.
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increase by 2-7 degrees Celsius
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Policymakers banned the routine use of DDT as an insecticide in the United States, partly because of clear scientific evidence showing that DDT was a threat to wildlife. Today, scientific consensus holds that CO2 released by humanactivities promotes global warming. Why haven't U.S. policymakers banned CO2 pollution?
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CO2 pollution stems from fossil fuel use, a technology that is central to modern economies. Measures to restrict CO2 pollution could entail major economic costs and are strongly opposed by many interests.
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Ecology
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The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments.
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Biotic factors
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All the organisms in the area-make up the living component of the environment.
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Abiotic factors
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Make up the environments nonliving component and include chemical and physical factors, such as temperature, light, water, minerals, and air.
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Habitat
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The specific environment it lives in, includes the biotic and abiotic factors of its surroundings.
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Organism
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An individual living thing
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Organismal Ecology
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Concerned with the evolutionary adaptations that enable organisms to meet the challenges posed by their abiotic environments.
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population
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A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area.
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population ecology
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Concentrates mainly on factors that affect population density and growth
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Community
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consists of all the organisms that inhabit a particular area, it is an assemblage of populations of different species.
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Community Ecology
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Focuses on how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization.
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Ecosystem
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includes all the abiotic factors in addition to the community of species in a certain area.
Ex. a savanna ecosystem includes not only the organisms, such as the diverse plants and animals, but also the soil, water sources, sunlight, and other abiotic factors of the environment.
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Biosphere
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The global ecosystem- sum of all the planets ecosystems, or all of life.
Affects aquatic and terrestrial environments
- a challenge in the water is light fading with depth
- on land shading by other organisms is a problem
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Abiotic factor ( Temperature )
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An important abiotic factor because of its effect on metabolism
- Most organisms function best within a specific range of environmental temperatures
- Example. The American Pika has a high temperature well suited to the chilly climate of its mountains habitat. However, on warm days they must take refuge in crevices where pockets of cod air prevent overheating.
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Abiotic factor ( water )
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Exists in three forms on earth ( solid, liquid, gas ) and organisms need to be able to deal with those forms that occur in their environment.
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Abiotic factor ( nutrients )
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Soil structure, Ph, and nutrient content often play major roles in determining the distribution of plants.
- Freshwater organisms are in danger of picking up too much water and lysing their cells
- Marine organisms have to balance their cells against the high salt concentrations.
- For terrestrial organisms, the main water problem is the potential lack of water.
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Abiotic factors ( wind )
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Wind patterns and storms can have a serious effect on organisms use of their environment or on their growth patterns.
- Many plants depend on wind to disperse pollen and seeds
- Other organisms require wind to blow in nutrients
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Evolutionary Adaptations
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Specializations to deal with the environment.
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Acclimation
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A gradual, though reversible, physiological adjustment that occurs in response to an environment.
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Anatomical responses
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Environmental variation can effect growth and development so much that there maybe remarkable differences in body shape within a population.
- These include changes in body shape or the evolution of specific anatomical features.
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Behavioral responses
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Most behavioral adaptations are limited to animals since plants lack the ability to move around.
- These adaptations include localized movement ( Ex. sun to shade ) seasonal migrations, specialized mating, and changing of food sources.
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