Ecology Flashcards
What is ecology
Ecology is the study of plants, animals and their environment, and the relationship between them.
Environment
The environment is everything that surrounds an animal or plant (for example rocks, air, water and soil)
Habitat
The habitat is the place where an animal or plant lives
Woodland habitat
Each habitat has its own community of organisms. For example hedgehogs, snails, foxes and
Primroses belong in the woodland habitat
Interdependence
Interdependence is how organisms depends on each other for their survival. Example: buttercups depend on bees, bees need buttercups
Ecosystem
All the plants in an area interacting with each other and their environment. Examples: desert, tropical rainforest to the seashore.
Producer
A producer is a plant that makes its own food e.g grass and dandelions
Consumer
Animals that get their food by eating plants and other animals
Herbivore
An animal that eats plants only e.g rabbits, slugs and sheep
Carnivore
An animal that only eats other animals e.g hawks, ladybirds and foxes
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plant and animals e.g badgers, thrush and blackbirds
Decomposer
Organisms that feed on dead plants and animals e.g earth worms and bacteria
Food chain
A food chain shows how one organism eats another and so on
Feeding levels
The position of an organism is the food chain is called it’s feeding level
Sun
This is where any energy in the food chain comes from
