ecology Flashcards
Biotic
A living thing
Abiotic
non living thing
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
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 food chain shows how organisms are related to each other by the food they eat
Food web
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains
Energy pyramid
graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio productivity at each tropic level in a given ecosystem
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
an organism that produces organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide an autotroph
Decomposers
an organism especially a soil bacterium fungus or invertebrate that decomposes organic material
Desert
barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs
Tundra
a vast, flat treeless Arctic region of Europe Asia and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen
Temperate deciduous forest
variety of temperate forest dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year
Tropical rain forest
occur in areas of tropical rain forest climate in which there is no dry season
