Ecology Flashcards
Ecosystem
the integrated study of living biotic and non-living abiotic components and their interactions
Biotic factor
the living organisms that affect other organisms in an ecosystem
Abiotic factor
nonliving condition or thing, as climate or habitat, that influences or affects an ecosystem and the organisms in it
Organism
individual form of life, such as a bacterium, protist, fungus, plant, or animal, composed of a single cell or a complex of cells in which organelles or organs work together to carry out the various processes of life
Species
concept of species in which a species is a set of organisms adapted to a particular set of resources, called a niche, in the environment
Population
group of interbreeding individuals of the same species, which is isolated from other groups
Community
assemblage or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area and in a particular time
Habitat
environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant, or other type of organism
Natural selection
any characteristic of an individual that allows it to survive to produce more offspring will eventually appear in every individual of the species, simply because those members will have more offspring
Evolution
A phylogenetic tree of living things
Producers/autotrophs
organisms, like green plants, that produce organic compounds from inorganic compounds. an organism that makes its own food from inorganic substances.
Consumers/heterotrophs
organisms that obtain nutrients from other organisms
Primary consumer
usually herbivores, feeding on plants and fungus
Secondary consumer
feed on both plants and animals
Tertiary consumer
top of the food chain, feeds on secondary animals
Herbivores
animals eating plants; fungi, bacteria and protists
Carnivores
animal or plant that feed on animal tissue
Omnivores
eats plants or animals
Decomposer
organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances
Food chain
succession of organisms in an ecological community that are linked to each other through the transfer of energy and nutrients
Food web
series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions
Energy pyramid
graphical representation of the trophic levels
Carbon cycle
combined processes, including photosynthesis, decomposition, and respiration, by which carbon as a component of various compounds cycles between its major reservoir
Nitrogen cycle
conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes
Ecological succession
process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time
primary succession
two types of biological and ecological succession of plant life, occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and other organisms usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited
secondary succession
process started by an event that reduces an already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species
pioneer species
species which are the first to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems
climax community
the final stage of succession, remaining relatively unchanged until destroyed by an event such as fire or human interference
