ecology Flashcards
food web
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 level
the grouping for organisms in a food web based on there role.
podusers
make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition.
autotrophs
produce their own food.
consumers
animals that eat producers.
carnivore
animal that eats other animals
omnivore
eat both plants and animals
primary consumers
are herbivores eat plants and other produsers
herbivores
eat plant algey and other produsers
secondary consumers
eat herbivores
tershary
eats the secondary consumers
apex predator
top consumers or top predators
detritavors
organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains.
scavengor
organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains.
decomposers
turn organic wastes, such as decaying plants, into inorganic materials, such as nutrient-rich soil.
environment
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
Community
a group of different populations that live together and interact in an environment
niche
the place or role that an organism has in its habitat
Competition
the interaction between organisms or species that use the same resources in which the health of one is negatively affected by the presence of the other
Biotic
all of the living parts of an ecosystem
Abiotic
all of the nonliving parts of an ecosystem
Predator
an animal that hunts and eats another animal
prey
an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal
Parasite
an organism that lives in or on another organism (the host) and obtains nourishment from the host but provides nothing back to that host
Host
organism that is parasitized or subject to attack by one or more parasites
Symbiosis
relationship between two species that interact in ways that influence each other’s evolution
Parasitism
a certain type of non-mutual relationship found between two different species in which one organism known as the parasite benefits at the expense of the other organism
Mutualism
a relationship between two species of a plant, animal, or fungus in which one lives off the other and both organisms benefit
commensalism
a relationship between two species of a plant, animal, or fungus in which one lives with, on, or in the other without damage to either
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.
