Ecology defs. Flashcards
Ecology
Study of interactions between living things and their environment
Biosphere
Part of the planet containing living organisms
Ecosystem
Group of organisms that interact with their environment
grasslands
Habitat
place where a plant or animal lives
Population
All members of the same species living in an area
Community
All the different populations living in an area
Abiotic factor
Relate to non living factors
Biotic factors
Living factors
Climatic factors
Refer to weather over a long period of time (rainfall, temp)
Edaphic factors
Relate to soil
Examples of edaphic factors
Soil pH
Soil type
Soil temperature
Competition
When organisms struggle and fight for a resource in short supply
Predation
Catching, killing and eating of another organism
Producers
Organisms that carry out photosynthesis to make their own food
Consumers
Organisms that take in food from other organisms
Primary consumer
Feed on producers
Decomposers
Feed on dead matter
Secondary consumer
Animals that feed on primary consumers
Example of secondary consumer
Carnivores
Tertiary consumers
Feed on secondary consumers
Omnivores
Organisms that feed on both plants and animals
Food chain
Sequence of organisms in which one is eaten by the next organism in the food chain
Trophic level
Feeding stage
Food web
Consists of 2 or more food chains