ESS Assessment Prep PDF

Species and Populations
● A species interacts with its abiotic and biotic environments, and its niche is
described by these interactions
● Populations change and respond to interactions with the environment
● Any system has a carrying capacity for a given species
Questions you need to be able to answer:

1. Define the terms species and population
Basic units of the system and group together to form a population which in turn
interact to form communities. Species are a group of organisms that share
common characteristics and that inbreed to produce fertile (not sterile)
offsprings. And the population is a group of individuals of the same species
living together in the same area at the same time
2. Define the terms habitat and niche and give examples of each.
A habitat is a general place where an organism lives like the forest, the ocean, the
desert, islands, mountains, and the grassland.
A niche is the of an organism in its habitat
3. Compare the terms fundamental niche and realized niche and provide an
example.
A fundamental niche is a set of conditions or aspects under which a population

of species survives or reproduce, it is what an organism’s niche will be with the
absence of any competition of other species while realized niche is a set of
conditions actually used by a specific animal after interaction with other species,
the competition of other species are taken into consideration. We have Sparrows
in the forest as an example of the realized niche. Sparrows live in the area where
they can find berries to eat but the competition of mice in the same area makes it
difficult for them to locate all their population in that area so when they can
occupy an area without any competition that area becomes their fundamental
niche.
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4. Outline the following abiotic factors that can affect a species distribution:
temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, precipitation.
The abiotic factors that affect species distribution can be limiting factors
because they slow down the growth of a population. When it comes to
temperature, some species can not survive in a cold climate, for instance, lions
and giraffes. Similarly, animals whose niche is cold weather would not be able to
survive in a hot climate, such as polar bears and penguins. Sunlight is another
factor that can affect organisms in both ways, positively and negatively. For
instance, there are some plants that develop better with having more sunlight,
while others can better develop in shadow. Water and soil pH and salinity can
have a double effect on different plants and organisms.
5. Outline the following biotic factors that can affect species distribution:
predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, disease, competition.
6. Give examples of intraspecific competition and interspecific competition.
Intraspecific competition refers to the competition within the same species., For
example, two male birds of the same species might compete for mates in the
same area. Interspecific competition is the competition between different species
in nature. An example of interspecific competition is between lions and leopards
that vie for similar prey. Another example is a farm of rice paddies with weeds
growing in the field.
7. Describe how both intra and interspecific competition can affect niche size.
In the intraspecific competition, the same species compete for limited resources
like food, water or mate, things which are required for survival or reproduction so
that competition impact the growth of the species as the survival need will not be
sufficient for all of them so the reproduction tend to be slow which eventually
diminished the size of the niche.
8. Describe how competition can affect species diversity.

9. Define exponential growth and draw an exponential (J-shaped) population
curve.
10.Draw and annotate a logistic (S-shaped) growth curve, be sure to address
numbers and rates of growth.
11.Define the term carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of species or “load” that can be

sustainably supported by a given environment.
12. Give two examples of each of density-independent and density-dependent

factors that can affect population size.
Density-dependent: Predation, disease,competitions
Density-independent: Natural disasters, sunlight, temperature, Water.
13.Explain how density-dependent factors are related to the logistic growth

curve.
14.Explain how predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, disease, and
competition can affect the carrying capacity of a population.
Communities and Ecosystems

• The interactions of species with their environment result in energy and nutrient flows.
• Photosynthesis and respiration play a significant role in the flow of energy in
communities.
• The feeding relationships of species in a system can be modeled using food chains,
food webs and ecological pyramids.
Questions you need to be able to answer:
1. Define the terms community and ecosystem.
Community refers to the group of the population living and interacting with each
other in a common habitat. The ecosystem describes the community of
interdependent organisms and the physical environment that they interact with.
2. Draw a systems diagram of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, be sure to

identify the inputs and outputs of matter and energy.
3. Outline how photosynthesis and cellular respiration are linked.
Photosynthesis: Biological process by which energy from the sun (radiant
energy) is transformed into chemical energy of sugar molecules.
Cellular Respiration: The process where the chemical energy captured in

photosynthesis is released within cells of plants and animals.
During photosynthesis, plants captured and transformed energy. During cellular

respiration, plants release/use/spend energy to do biological work.
4. Explain what is meant by an organism losing entropy and the surrounding

ecosystem gaining entropy as cellular respiration in that organism occurs.
5. Define the term trophic level.
The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web.
6. Define producer, consumer, and decomposer.
Producers convert inorganic compounds into food and they can be considered
autotrophs because they produce food for themselves. Green plants can be
considered as an example of autotrophs. Producers are the base of teh food
chain and so they are referred to as primary producers. Consumers are
heteretrophs, which means they are not able to produce food for themselves, so
they consume other organisms. They are divided into 3 subgroups:
1) Herbivores -eat just plants(leaves, flowers, fruits, nuts or stems, and

wood)
2) Carnivores -eat only meat (eat other animals and they are usually predators)
3) Omnivores -eat both plants and other animals-humans
Decomposers- are the cleanup crew for ecosystems as they obtain their energy
and nutrients from dead plant and animal material and waste.
-Detrivores- is the first stage of the decomposition cycle. They gain nutrients by
consuming plant and animal detritus- the waste and feces. For example,
detritivores-millipedes, woodlice, worms, and maggots ingest lumps of matter
and pass them through their bodies to be further dealt with by decomposers.
Decomposers- such as bacteria and fungi absorb and metabolize waste and
dead matter on a molecular level that releases it as inorganic chemicals that can
be recycled through the ecosystem via plants.
Annotate a food web with named organisms that include four trophic levels.
7. Draw examples of the three types of pyramids (numbers, biomass,

productivity)
● Explain what the pyramids represent
● Include units of measure
● Evaluate the usefulness of three types of pyramids.
● Identify which types of pyramids can be inverted and how and why that would
happen.
1. State the first and second laws of thermodynamics and explain how they are
applied to ecosystems.
2. Provide an example of and define bioaccumulation and bio-magnification
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Species and Populations

Questions you need to be able to answer:

A niche is the of an organism in its habitat

A fundamental niche is a set of conditions or aspects under which a population

8. Describe how competition can affect species diversity.

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of species or “load” that can be

12. Give two examples of each of density-independent and density-dependent

Density-dependent: Predation, disease,competitions

Density-independent: Natural disasters, sunlight, temperature, Water.

13.Explain how density-dependent factors are related to the logistic growth

Communities and Ecosystems

2. Draw a systems diagram of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, be sure to

Cellular Respiration: The process where the chemical energy captured in

During photosynthesis, plants captured and transformed energy. During cellular

4. Explain what is meant by an organism losing entropy and the surrounding

The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web.

6. Define producer, consumer, and decomposer.

1) Herbivores -eat just plants(leaves, flowers, fruits, nuts or stems, and

3) Omnivores -eat both plants and other animals-humans

7. Draw examples of the three types of pyramids (numbers, biomass,

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