Ecology Flashcards
Habitat
A place where living organisms live
Biotic unit
Living organisms
Abiotic unit
Non-living things (temperature range, soil pH, water, nutrient availability, wind rate, humidity)
Population
Number of species living in a certain area at the same time
Community
Multiple different organisms living in the same place at the same time in an ecosystem
Ecosystem
The interactions between the biotic and the abiotic factors make up an ecosystem
Niche
Role of an organism in its natural environment; the way in which it interacts and impacts other organisms and abiotic components of environment
Biome
Biotic unit that includes various communities that have a common adaptation to that particular environment
Trophic Levels
Producers
Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Cnsumers
Apex Consumers
Decomposers - get their energy by feeding on dead and decaying bodies and waste organic materials. Essential in order to break down complex molecules into simple molecules (increases nutrient availability), helping plants grow.
Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiotic: Two/more different species living together in which at least one of the species benefits
Predator-prey: how one organism kills another and consumes it as food
Mutualism: When both the species in a relationship benefit from each other
Parasitism: When one organism is benefitted and the other is harmed. Benefitted organism = parasite, harmed organism = host
Ectoparasite: parasites that live outside of the host
Endoparasite: parasites that live inside the body of the host
Commensalism: When one organism benefits and the other is neither benefitted nor harmed
Food chain
Sequential flow of energy from one trophic level to another
Ecological value
the level of benefits that the space has. Eg: water, materials, biota
Biota
Plant and animal life of a particular region or period
Cascade effect
when one trophic level is affected, other trophic levels will be affected as well
Ocean acidification
reduction of pH of the ocean caused by increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere