Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The study of interactions that take place among organisms and their environment.
Organism
One individual that belongs to a certain species.
population
-All the organisms that belong to the same species living in a community.
Community
All the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem.
Ecosystem
All the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment
Climax community
Stable, end stage of ecological succession in which the plants and animals of a community use resources efficiently and balance is maintained by disturbances such a fire, volcano, or glacier.
A final stable community, (after either primary (no soil) or secondary succession-soil present)
Abiotic
the non-living physical features of the environment, including air, water,sunlight, soil (rocks), temperature, and climate. The pre-fix A means not (living).
Biotic-
features of the environment that are alive or were once alive. The prefix bio means life.
Succession-
A natural, gradual change in the type of species that live in an area. Succession can be primary or secondary.
Climate
Average weather conditions of an area over time, including wind, temperature, and rainfall or other types of precipitation such as snow or sleet.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
WE LIVE IN THIS BIOME! We usually have 4 distinct seasons with climax communities of deciduous trees (leaves fall off the branches).
Predator
Consumers that capture and eat other consumers.
Prey
The organism that is captured by the predator.
Limiting Factors-
Anything that restricts the size of the population, including living and nonliving features of an ecosystem, such as predators or drought.
Energy
Pyramid-A model that shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level in an ecosystem.