ecology Flashcards
organisms reacting and living with each other in their environment
ecosystem
living things in an ecosystem
biotic factors
non-living things in an ecosystem
abiotic factors
contiguous living thing such as animals, plants fungi, bacteria, etc…
organisms
group of the same organism that can interbreed creating more of that type of organism
species
number of a certain species in an area
population
multiple species that interact with each other in a common location
community
the area where a species is found and lives, such as a lion lives in the savanna
habitat
the idea of “survival of the fittest” or the circle of life, where only the organisms best adapted to their environment will survive
natural selection
the idea that an organism changes over time, it is a controversial topic that many people believe and many dont
evolution
green plants and algae that create their own food and are usually the base of the food chain
producers/autotrophs
animals and other organisms that eat other organisms
consumers/heterotrophs
animals that eat the producers to get energy, usually herbivores and omnivores
primary consumers
organisms that mainly feed on primary consumers
secondary consumers
organisms which are almost always on the top of the food chain and are mainly carnivores
tertiary consumers
organisms that strictly eat plants
herbivores
organisms that strictly eat meat
carnivores
organisms that will eat plants and meat, humans are these
omnivores
organisms that slowly dissolve and eat dead animals causing rot and decay
decomposers
an example of a producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and a tertiary consumer.
food chain
a bunch of food chains all interconnected
food web
shows how energy is transferred down the food chain
energy pyramid
