Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The study of the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical environment.
Food Chain
A sequence of organisms through which the energy in food passes from plants to animals and then to other animals in the series.
Producer
The organism at the beginning of a food chain. (Green plant)
Consumers
Organisms that depend on food made by producers.
Primary consumers
Consumers which eat plants (the producers) - called herbivores
Predators
Carnivores that catch and eat other animals. Animals are termed as prey.
Omnivores
Eats plants and animals
First animal in a food chain
Primary consumer
Secondary Consumer
Carnivore that feeds on herbivores or omnivores (second animal in the food chain) these tend to be larger and fewer in number.
Tertiary Consumer
Organism that eats the secondary consumer. Carnivores that eat other carnivores. Topmost level of the food chain.
Decomposes
Microscopic bacteria and fungi (saprophyte) which feed on dead or decaying remains of plants and animals.
They release chemicals that slowly break down the decaying remains into soluble substances.
They absorb the soluble nutrients into their own cells.
They return all chemical elements to the soil or to the air through excretion and respiration.
Saprophyte
A plant, fungus or microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter.
Trophic Levels
Separate feeding positions in a food chain.
First trophic level - producers
Second - primary consumers
Third - secondary consumers
Fourth - tertiary consumers
