Chap 15-16 Flashcards
An organisms environment or home
Habitat
The study of how living things interact with one another and with their physical environment
Ecology
Living factors
Biotic factors
Non-living factors
Abiotic factors
The thin layer of the earths surface in which life exists
Biosphere
Regions inside a biosphere
Biomes
An interrelated network of all organisms and their environment within a limited area
Ecosystems
All living things in an ecosystem
Community
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same ecosystem
Population
Smallest living unit of the biosphere
Organisms
The number and variety of species living within an ecosystem
Biodiversity
The ability of the ecosystem to support these organisms
Carrying capacity
The ideal range within an organisms range for temperature
Optimum range
Any factor outside an organism’s tolerance range
Limiting factor
Organisms that make their own food
Producers (autotrophs)
Autotrophs that obtain energy from chemical substances
Chemoautotrophs
Autotrophs that obtain energy from sunlight
Photoautotrophs
Organisms that are unable to make their own food
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Consumers that feed on plants
Herbivores
Consumers that eat meat
Carnivores
Consumers that feed on plants and animals
Omnivores
Bacteria and fungi that feed on detritus by secreting enzymes that break down into simpler molecules
Decomposers
Feed on detritus, but can’t convert it to soil component.
Detritivores
A classification which describes its feeding relationship to other organisms in its ecosystem
Trophic level
