Mrs. MacColl's Biology Page

Ecology & Classification

Study Guide

Be able to answer the following questions thoroughly!

Biology IH & Biology I

  • Explain Linnaeus’s system of classifying organisms.

  • List the seven taxa of biological classification.

  • Explain how evolutionary relationships are important in classification.

  • Identify the different levels of organization that ecologists study.

  • Give examples of populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, niches, habitats and their interactions within an ecosystem.

  • Be able to trace the flow of energy through living systems.

  • Evaluate the efficiency of energy transfer among organisms in an ecosystem.

  • Compare food webs and food chains.

  • Describe why food chains are rarely longer than three or four links.

  • Describe the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous cycles.

  • Describe the unique characteristics of the world’s major biomes.

Be sure to understand the following biology terms.  By defining these terms in your own words and by giving an example of the following terms you will begin to understand their meaning.  (Example:  a stimulus is a change in environment or anything a living thing responds to.  An example of a stimulus is a loud noise.)

 

  • Taxonomy

  • Binomial nomenclature

  • Taxon

  • Phylogeny

  • Ecology

  • Biosphere

  • Species

  • Population

  • Community

  • Ecosystem

  • Biome

  • Autotroph

  • Producer

  • Photosynthesis

  • Chemosynthesis

  • Heterotroph

  • Consumer

  • Omnivore

  • Herbivore

  • Carnivore

  • Detritivore

  • Decomposer

  • Food chain

  • Food web

  • Trophic level

  • Ecological pyramids (energy, biomass, numbers)

  • Biogeochemical cycle

  • Evaporation

  • Transpiration

  • Nitrogen fixation

  • Denitrification

  • Biotic factor

  • Abiotic factor

  • Predation

  • Symbiosis

  • Mutualism

  • Commensalism

  • Parasitism

  • Limiting factors

  • Predator/pre relationships

  • Carrying capacity

Remember, any material from past tests is fair game!  This test covers some challenging information.  If you study a little bit everyday, using this study guide, you will do AWESOME!  Good Luck!