Populations and Ecosystems Sample Work
1. What is the main reason for climate change?
2. What is an invasive species and how does that affect the population?
3. What is symbiosis? Please list 3 different types of symbiosis?
4. What is the difference between a parasite and a host?
5. Define resource, scarcity, and competition.
1. The main reason for climate change is the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mostly caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation.
2. An invasive species is a non-native species that has been introduced to an ecosystem and can cause harm to the existing population by competing for resources, predating on native species, or disrupting the ecosystem's balance. This can lead to a decline in the population of native species and an imbalance in the ecosystem.
3. Symbiosis is a relationship between two different species that live together in a particular environment. Three different types of symbiosis are mutualism (both species benefit), commensalism (one species benefits and the other is unaffected), and parasitism (one species benefits and the other is harmed).
4. A parasite is an organism that benefits at the expense of its host, which is the organism that is harmed by the parasite. The parasite usually relies on the host for food and shelter, while the host may suffer from reduced health or even death as a result of the parasite's presence.
5. A resource is any material or non-material entity that can be used to satisfy a need or desire. Scarcity refers to the limited availability of resources relative to the demand for them, which creates competition among individuals or groups who seek to obtain the resources. Competition is the process by which individuals or groups compete for limited resources, often resulting in a struggle for survival or dominance.