Ecology Flashcards
Biotic
Describes living factors in the environment
Abiotic
physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms.
Population
all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
Community
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Biosphere
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms.
Herbivore
an animal that feeds on plants.
Carnivore
an animal that feeds on flesh.
Omnivore
an animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin.
Food chain
a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.
Food web
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
Energy pyramid
a graphical representation designed to show the biomass
Carrying capacity
the number or quantity of people or things that can be conveyed or held by a vehicle or container.
Prey
an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food.
Predator
an animal that naturally preys on others.
Mutualism
the doctrine that mutual dependence is necessary to social well-being.
Commensalism
an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Parasitism
the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism.
Producers
a person, company, or country that makes, grows, or supplies goods or commodities for sale.
Decomposers
an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.
Desert
abandon in a way considered disloyal or treacherous.
Tundra
avast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.
Temperate deciduous forest
a biome that is always changing.
Tropical rainforest
rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season
Coniferous forest
vegetation is composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees.
Savanna
a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.
Temperate grassland
areas of open grassy plains that are sparsely populated with trees.
