Ecology DEFINITIONS Flashcards
A Habitat
is a place where a plant or animal lives
A Species
is a group of similar individuals capable of breeding with each other and producing fertile offspring but not capable of breeding with the other spicies
A Population
is all the members of the same species living in a habitat
A Community
are all the different populations in a habitat
A Producer
is an organism that can produce its own food either by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
A Consumer
takes in food .relies on another food source
primary consumer =
feed on vegetation
secondary consumer =
feed on primary consumers
what feeds on secondary consumers and is at the top of the food chain/web
tertiary consumers
A food chain =
is a sequence of organisms where each one is eaten by the next member [is a flow diagram that begins with a plant and shows how food /energy is passed through a series of orgainsms in a community]
A Network of linked food chains=
is called a food web
A Trophic level
is a feeding stage in a food chain
A Pyramid
of numbers describes the numbers of individuals at each trophic level in the food chain
A Niche
is the functional role of an organism in its community,its way of life
Pollution
is any harmful addition to the environment
pollutanta
are substances that cause pollution
consevation
is the wise management of our natural resources in order to maintain habitats and to prevent extinction of our species
competition
occurs between two organisms when a resource is i short/or limited supply
contest competition
is when there is an active physical contest/confrontation between two individuals and one individual will get the resource .this leads to the fittest in the group surviving and therefore reproducing. its good as it get rid of the weaker individuals in a species
scramble competition
is when all the individuals get some of the resource ,but possibly do not get enough to grow and reproduce efficiently.it is not beneficial for the species and reduces numbers hugely in a species
INTRA- specific competition
takes place between members of the same species
INTER-specific competition
takes place between members of different species
predation
is a calculating ,killing, and eating of another organism
a predator
does the catching , killing and eating of prey
the prey
is the organism caught ,killed and eaten by predator
a parasite
lives off another living organism .it can also be ecto-parasite [living outside the body of its host]. it can be an endo-parasite[living inside the body of the host]]
symbiosis
is a relationship between two organisms of different species in which at least one benefits from the association
mutualism
is a form of symbiosis . in which both organisms benefit from the association/relationship
an adaption
is a feature that allows the organism to live more successfully in its environment. it improves efficiency
ecosystem
a community of living organisms interacting with one another and their non-living environment within a particular area e.g grassland
energy flow
is the pathway of energy transfer from one organism to the next in an ecosystem due to feeding e.g along a food chain
nitrogen fixation
is the term used to describe the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia or nitrates
subjective estimate
because you are deciding what predominant plant is for the square ( not 100% accurate)
objective estimate
this is more accurate because you are selecting the plant that touches the top right point of each square.
assimilated
plants are eaten by animals and therefore there is a transfer of carbon from plant to animals
ecology
is the study of the interactions between living organisms and between their environment
biosphere
is the part of the planet containing living organisms
- the atmosphere=> the air
- the hydrosphere=> the oceans and seas
- the lithosphere => soil, rocks
