Ecology Flashcards
What is Ecology?
The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
What are the Ecological levels in order?
Species - Population - Community - Ecosystem - Biome - Biosphere
What organisms captures energy from sunlight and uses it to produce food?
Autotrophs
What other word can be used for Autotrophs?
Producers
What is a Heterotroph what do they do?
Organisms that must obtain energy from other living things.
What are consumers?
They are organisms that must eat, or consume, other organisms for food.
Heterotrophs that only eat plants are called what?
Herbivores
Heterotrophs that only eat other animals are called what?
Carnivores
Carnivores that hunt and kill their own prey are called what?
Predators
What are scavengers?
Carnivores that feed on dead animals.
Heterotrophs that eat both plants and animals are called what?
Omnivores
What are decomposers?
Heterotrophs that break down organic matter and return it to the environment.
Which way does energy flow through?
Energy flows through one direction.
What is a food chain?
Series of organisms through which energy is passed.
What does a food chain start with?
(Not the sun)
It starts with the primary producer.