ecology Flashcards
biotic
describes living factors in the environment
abiotic
describes the nonliving part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature
population
a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area
community
all the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other
ecosystem
a community of organisms and their abiotic environment
biosphere
the part of earth where life exists
herbivore
an organism that eats only plants
carnivore
an organism that eats animals
omnivore
an organism that eats both plants and animals
food chain
the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms
food web
a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
energy pyramid
a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystems loss of energy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystems food chain
carrying capacity
the largest population that an environment can support at any given time
prey
an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
predator
an organism that eats all or part of another organism
mutualism
a relationship between 2 species in which both species benefit
commensalism
a relationship between 2 organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
parasitism
a relationship between 2 species in which one species, the parasite, benefits from the other species, the host, which is harmed
producers
an organism that can make its own food by using energy from its surroundings
decomposers
an organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or animal wastes and consuming or absorbing the nutrients
desert
an area that has little or no plant life, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures, usually found in hot climates
tundra
a treeless plain found in the arctic, in the antarctic, or on the tops of mountains that is characterized by very low winter temperatures, cool summers
savanna
a grassland that often has scattered trees and that is found in tropical and subtropical areas where seasonal rains, fires, and drought happen
temperate deciduous forests
loose their leaves in forests
tropical rain forest
annual rainfalls and evergreen trees
coniferous forest
vegetation composed primarily of needle leaved trees
temperate grassland
a larger biome group of grasslands including tropical savannas
