Ecology Flashcards
ecosystem
biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
biotic factor
any living component that affects another organism
abiotic factor
non-living component that affects organisms
organism
an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form
species
a group of organisms having many things in common; ranked below a genus
population
number of organisms of the same species living in a certain area
community
interacting group of various species in a common location
habitat
place where an organism or community of organisms lives
natural selection
the process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce offspring
evolution
the process by which living organisms are thought to have developed and changed over time
producers / autotrophs
organisms that can organically produce their own nutrients
consumers / heterotrophs
organisms that can’t produce their own nutrients and instead get them from eating food
primary consumer
consumers that usually eat producers (plants)
secondary consumer
consumes animals that only eats plants
tertiary consumer
carnivore at topmost level of a food chain
herbivores
organisms that eat plants
carnivores
organisms that eat animals
omnivores
organisms that eat both plants and animals
decomposers
organisms that feed on dead plant and animal matters as they decay
food chain
linear network of links in a food web
food web
shows feeding relationships of organisms in an ecosystem
energy pyramid
graphical model of energy flow in a community
carbon cycle
the cycle of carbon in the earth’s ecosystems
nitrogen cycle
nitrogen passing from air to soil to organisms and back again
ecological succession
process by which the structure of a biological community changes over time
primary succession
succession that occurs in mostly lifeless areas
secondary succession
succession that occurs after primary succession
pioneer species
organisms like lichens that help in development of soil
climax community
biological community that has reached a steady state after developing over time
