what converts organic matter to inorganic matter by breaking down dead organisms
decomposers
what nutrients often limit the distribution and abundance of photosynthetic organisms
nitrogen and phosphorous
if a populations growth rate decreases as the population size approaches the carrying capacity the populations growth follows a ______ model
logistic
competition among individuals of the same species is _____ competition
intraspecific
small fishes that eat zoo plankton are
secondary consumers
what factor operates in a density dependent matter
food supply
on average what percentage of the energy in one trophic level becomes incorporated into the next higher trophic level
10%
the rate at which an ecosystem's producers convert solar energy ti chemical energy stored in biomass is called
primary productivity
what name is given to the seafloor
benthic realm
species that exhibit a equilibrial life history typically
have long lives
the single greatest threat to biodiversity comes from
habitat destruction and fragmentation
eating more beef and pork would increase your carbon fottprint. t or f
true
what is a population
a group of organisms of the same species living i a particular geographic area
opportunistic species typically
have a large number of offspring
the greenhouse effect causes an increase in global temperatures. this increase is primarily due to
CO2 and other greenhouse gases slowing the escape of heat from earth
in the food chain grass-antelope-human-lion the antelope is
both a herbivore and a primary consumer
the sahara desert and the negev desert belong to the same
biome
what is one way in which energy flow differs from chemical cycling
energy flow is unidirectional, and chemical elements can be recycled
in order to assess the species diversity of a community you would need to know the number of different species present as well as
the relative abundance of the different species
as a result of a disturbance a community will
undergo succession
type 1 survivorship curves are typical of species that exhibit
few offspring and good parental care
what biome is maintained by fire
chaparral and savanna
in n aquatic ecosystem what name is given to the region where photosynthesis can occur
photic zone
the major abiotic reservoir for phosphorous is
rock
______ is the maximum population size that a particular habitat can support
carrying capacity
why are most trophic levels limited to three to five trophic levels
there is insufficient energy to support more trophic levels
species found in only one place on earth are called
endemic
if you study how two species of finches compete for food you are trying to answer a question about
community ecology
a regional assemblage of interacting ecosystems is a
landscape
small areas that have a large number of endangered and threatened species are referred to as
biodiversity hotspots
which of these organisms convert atmospheric nitrogen gas to a form that can be utilized by plants
bacteria
the international release of a natural enemy to attack a pest population is called
biological control
the endangered species act aims to protect species that
are in danger of extinction
what are estuaries
a transition area between river and the ocean
integrated pest management advocates
mixed-species plantings and rotating crops
the ecological footprint of the united states shows
that americans consume a disproportionate amount of food and fuel