Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and environment.
Species
One type of organism.
Biotic Factor
All the parts of the living environment that are living.
Abiotic Factor
All the parts of the living environment that are nonliving.
Habitat
The place where an organism lives in a community.
Population
All the organisms of the same species live in the same place at the same time.
Community
All the populations that live in the same place at the same time.
Ecosystem
A community interacting with the abiotic parts of its environment, (all the biotic and abiotic parts of an area).
Energy Pyramid
Diagram showing trophic level/ level in the food chain.
Sun
Main source of energy for all living things.
Producer
Make it’s own food (autotroph).
Photosynthesis
the process of food making in producers
Sunlight + CO₂ (carbon dioxide) + H₂O (Water) →
sugar (energy) + O₂ (Oxygen)
Consumer
An organism that eats other organisms. (heterotroph).
Herbivore
An organism that only eats plants.
Carnivore
An organism that only eats animals.
Scavenger
An organism that eats organisms that are already dead.
Omnivore
An organism that eats both plants and animals.
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down the remains of dead plants and animals (recycles).
Food Chain
The transfer of energy (food) from one organism to another.
Food Web
When different chains overlap.
Competition
The contest among organisms to get what they need to survive.
Niche
The role (job) a species has within a community.
Predator
An organism that kills and eats a prey to obtain energy.
Prey
An organism that gets eaten by a predator.
Limiting Factors
An environmental factor that causes the population to decrease.
Symbiosis
A relationship where food,shelter, support or transportation is provided for one or both organisms.
Natural Selection
The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources. Process in which a species become better suited to it’s environment.
