Ecology Flashcards
Food web
consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem
food chain
one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem
trophic levels
The groupings of organisms in a food web based on their role
producers
also known as autotrophs, make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition
autotroph
make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition
consumers
animals that eat animals and/or producers
carnivore
animal tat eats other animals
omnivore
animal that eats both animals and plants
herbivores
eats plants, algae, and other producers
primary consumer
herbivore eats plants and other producers
secondary consumer
eats the herbivores or primary consumers
tertiary consumers
eats the secondary consumers
apex predator
the top consumer
Detritivores
Organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains(a scavenger)
Scavenger
Organisms that eat nonliving plant and animals(Detritivores)
decomposers
Break down dead organisms into nutrient-rich soil for use by the producers
Ecosystem
all of the living and nonliving parts of the environment that interact with each other
Ecology
the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with other organisms
Dominant species
a group of organisms that outnumbers/dominates the other species in the area
Enviroment
all the living and nonliving things that surround an organism
Biosphere
that part of Earth in which life can exist
Habitat
the location in which an organism lives
species
a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can mate with each other to produce offspring
population
the group of organisms of the same species living in the same area