We're the Planeteers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Linka, from Europe

Ernst Haeckel was born in Potsdam, Germany in 1834, when it was still known as Prussia. Haeckel, a biologist, philosopher and naturalist, to name a few of his occupations, published the book "Generelle Morphologie der Organismen" in 1866, where he defined ecology as "the whole science of the relations of the organism to the environment including, in the broad sense, all the 'conditions of existence.'"

The word "ecology" derives from the Greek words "house" and "study", which would literally define ecology as the study of our house, Earth.

Answer: The conjunction of a community of living organisms and abiotic components

An ecosystem can be defined as the conjunction of a community of living organisms (which are several populations that interact in the same area) with an abiotic component, which is a non-living factor, such as water or light.

Ecosystems have two main characteristics: unidirectional flow of energy by the biotic community, and nutrient cycles of abiotic materials to the biotic community that help in the continuous flow of energy.

Answer: Pyrosphere

The biosphere can be defined as our entire living world, a compound of air, land and water zones, where life can be found. The biosphere is divided in three parts: the lithosphere (land), the hydrosphere (water) and the atmosphere (air). Living organisms interact with these abiotic factors, making the biosphere an ecosystem.

Answer: All of these

An ecological niche is the function or role of any organism in an ecosystem. Earthworms are detritivores, which means that they feed on organic matter and leaves, and the waste these worms produce is used by the soil as a fertilizer.

Earthworms are decomposers, which means they belong to the group of organisms that is in charge of decomposing organic matter. Because of this classification as decomposers, they are at the bottom of the food chain, which makes them a source of food for birds, insects, and even snakes.

Answer: Autotroph

Living organisms are classified into two different categories: autotroph organisms, which only need an external source of energy to produce their own food, and heterotrophs, which need an external source of food and can't produce their own. In ecology, autotrophs are known as producers, since they make the food of heterotrophs.

Answer: Dead organic matter

Saprotrophs are a kind of heterotrophic organisms, which decompose dead or decayed organic matter into more assimilable matter, through digestive enzymes. Saprotrophs break down compounds like proteins, lipids and starches, into simpler molecules and compounds such as fatty acids and disaccharides.

Answer: Tertiary consumer

There are five usually accepted trophic levels: the first one, known as primary producers, is formed by plants and algae that get their energy from sunlight and make their own food. The second one is made by herbivores that eat plants, which are called primary consumers. Level three is made up by secondary consumers, carnivores that eat herbivores, while level 4 is made up by tertiary consumers, carnivores that eat other carnivores.

The fifth trophic level corresponds to apex predators; organisms that are on the top of the food chain and have no other predators.

Answer: 10%

The ten percent law is a concept introduced by ecologist Raymond Lindeman. The law suggests that, during the transfer of energy from a trophic level to another, not all energy is used, in fact, only 10% of that energy is stored or used, whereas the rest is either broken down or lost completely.

Answer: Mutualism

Also known as symbiosis, a symbiotic relationship involves interactions between organisms. There are three types of symbiotic relationships; mutualism, where both species benefit from the relationship (such as bees and flowers, since the bee gets food while the flower is pollinated).

In commensalism, only one species benefits but the other is not affected (an example is barnacles with whales, since the barnacles adhere to the whales and find habitats while moving with the whale, but the latter is not affected.) Finally, parasitism describes when one species benefits while the other is affected, like diseases in humans.

Answer: Those responsible for an action that potentially harms the environment must prove it will not be harmful

The precautionary principle is an important one for ecology, first endorsed in 1982 by the United Nations. The principle states that people responsible for an action that could harm the environment must prove that such action will not result in total damage or will not be harmful at all, before proceeding with that action. Sadly, in reality this is often the opposite, since now people concerned with environmental risk must prove the action will be harmful in order to stop it from taking place.