4.0 Ecology Key Words

Question 1

Ecosystem

Answer 1

A unit containing all of the organisms and their environment, interacting together, in a given area e.g. decomposing log or a lake.

Question 2

Food chain

Answer 2

A chart showing the flow of energy (food) from one organism to the next beginning with a producer (e.g. tree → caterpillar → small bird → hawk).

Question 3

Decomposer

Answer 3

An organism that gets its energy from dead or waste organic matter.

Question 4

Community

Answer 4

All the populations of the different species living in a habitat e.g. rock pool consisting of seaweeds, sea anemones, shrimps, fish, crabs & more.

Question 5

Producer

Answer 5

An organism that makes its own organic nutrients, usually using energy from sunlight, through photosynthesis.

Question 6

Food web

Answer 6

A network of interconnected food chains showing the energy flow through part of an ecosystem.

Question 7

Trophic levels

Answer 7

The position of an organism in a food chain or food web.

Question 8

Consumer

Answer 8

An organism that gets its energy by feeding on other organisms.

Question 9

Population

Answer 9

A group of organisms of the same species living in a habitat e.g. skin mites in a mattress

Question 10

Habitat a

Answer 10

The place where an organism lives.

Question 11

biodiversity

Answer 11

a measure of the range of species living within an ecosystem

Question 12

practical investigating population size of an organism

Answer 12

• quadrats are placed along the transect and the amount of the chosen organism is counted

Question 13

abiotic factors

Answer 13

• light intensity
• temperature
• moisture levels
• soil pH and mineral content