Ecosystem Regulation and Dynamics Quiz

Primary producers are organisms that produce organic compounds from inorganic compounds, typically through photosynthesis, making trees an example.

While oxygen is essential for life, it is not considered a greenhouse gas; examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor.

Biotic factors are living components of an ecosystem, such as grasshoppers, which interact with other organisms and influence ecosystem dynamics.

Sunlight is the primary source of energy for ecosystems through photosynthesis, driving the synthesis of organic compounds and supporting life.

The carbon cycle describes the movement of carbon through the Earth's biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

Tertiary succession is not a recognized type of ecological succession, which includes primary and secondary succession.

Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits, and the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

A keystone species has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, like sea otters in kelp forest ecosystems.

The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.

Ecological pyramids typically represent the trophic structure of ecosystems, including energy, biomass, and numbers, but a 'consumption pyramid' is not a recognized type.

Density-dependent limiting factors, such as food availability, exert greater effects on populations as population density increases.

Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia, a process carried out primarily by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Intraspecific competition occurs between members of the same species, such as two male deer competing for mating rights.

Resource partitioning is the division of resources to enable species with similar ecological niches to coexist in the same environment, reducing competition.

Density-independent limiting factors, like floods and natural disasters, affect populations regardless of their density, often causing dramatic declines.

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit, such as bees pollinating flowers, which receive nectar while aiding in pollination.