Ecology Flashcards
Abiotic Factor
The part of the ecosystem that is not alive and has never been alive (sun, soil, water, etc)
Biome
A plant and animal community that covers a large part of the Earth
Biotic Factor
The part of an ecosystem that is alive
Carbon Cycle
The movement of carbon from the environment into living things and back into the environment
Carnivores
An organism that eats only other consumers (meat eater)
Consumers
An organism that survives by eating producers or other consumers in its ecosystem
Deciduous Forest
A forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each autumn
Decomposers
An organism, such as bacteria or fungus, that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the soil
Deforestation
The cutting down and clearing of forest land – will usually lead to increased soil erosion in this area
Desert
An area that gets less than 25 centimeters of precipitation each year, making it VERY dry
Ecology
The study of how living things interact with one another and their environment
Ecosystem
All the living and nonliving things in an area and their interactions
Food Chain
The order in which animals feed on plants and other animals (shows how energy flows from producer-consumer-decomposer)
Food Web
Many food chains put together to show how energy flows through the ecosystem
Grasslands
A biome whose main plants are grasses
Herbivores
An organism that eats only plants
Nitrogen Cycle
The continuous series of processes in which nitrogen passes from the air into the soil, then into an organism, and then back into the air
Omnivores
A consumer that eats both plants and meats
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plant cells make food from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide
Producer
An organism that can make its own food
Rainforest
A hot, humid biome near the equator with much rainfall and a wide variety of life. The soil in this biome is not very fertile because of all the many plants taking the nutrients from the soil
Respiration
Occurs in animals and plants - energy is released from sugar (glucose) by a series of chemical reactions. The sugar is broken down into carbon dioxide and water in a process which uses oxygen
Taiga
A cool forest biome in the Northern Hemisphere that has mostly conifer trees (needle-like leaves )
Tundra
A flat or slightly rolling plain with few trees and permanently frozen ground
Water Cycle
The continuous circulation of water between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere
