Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
Study of the interaction between groups of organisms and their environment
Ecosystem
Consists of organisms and their interactions with the environment
Biosphere
The parts of the earth and it’s atmosphere in which life can exist
Producers
Make their own food
Consumers
Feed on the plants and animals
Decomposers
Feed on dead and decaying plants and animals e.g bacteria and fungi
Competition
The struggle between organisms for resources that are in short supply such as food and light
Biotic
An organisms influence on another organism
Abiotic
The influence of a non-living part of the environment of an organism
Climatic factors
The weather conditions that affect organisms in an ecosystem
Aquatic factors
Affect organisms that live in water
Edaphic factors
Soil factors that affect organisms
Energy flow in the ecosystem
Solar energy => primary producers => primary consumers => secondary consumers => tertiary consumers
Food chain
The feeding relationship between organisms in which energy is transferred
Food web
Consists of two or more intersecting food chains
