definitions Flashcards
what is ecology?
the study of interactions of organisms with their biologic (living) and abiotic (non-living) environments
what are biotic factors?
any environmental factor that is associated with living organisms.
e.g. predation, competition, food availability
what are abiotic factors?
any of the non-living factors that make up the environment of living organisms
e.g. rainfall, light intensity, soil pH, temperature, pollution
what is an ecosystem?
interacting unit with biotic and abiotic components = stable self-perpetuating system
what is a habitat?
an area of the environment where an organism lived, feeds and breeds
what is a community?
the community consists of all the populations (animals and plants) living together in one habitat
what is the population?
the number of individuals of one species in the same habitat at the same time (measured using a quadrat)
what is the population density?
population density is the numbers in a population per unit area
what is interdependence?
survival of some organisms dependent on other species
e.g. parasitic worms, mutual bacteria
what is mutualism?
two species live together, providing benefit to the other via the relationship
e.g. bacteria in the gut of a cow
what are producers?
primary producers make food (sugar) using light energy by photosynthesis
what are consumers?
primary consumers get their food by eating producers. secondary and tertiary consumers get their food by eating other consumers
what are detrivores?
consumers obtaining energy from organic waste and dead organisms - these help recycle materials by decay
what is biomass?
the weight of living material within an ecosystem. measured by weight, or by dry weight, per unit area of land or per volume of water
what is the yield?
the amount of food produced
e.g. mass of tomatoes
