Ecology Notes Flashcards
Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and the environment.
Species
One type of organism
Biotic factor
All the parts of the environment that are living.
Abiotic factor
All the parts of the environment that are nonliving.
Habitat
The place where an organism lives in a community
Population
All the organism of the same species living in the same place at the same time.
Community
All the population that live in the same place at the same time.
Ecosystem
a community interacting with the abiotic parts of its environment, (all the biotic and abiotic parts of an area)
Energy pyramid
Diagram showing trophic level/level in food chain
Sun
Main source of energy for all living things
Producer
makes its own food (autotroph)
Photosynthesis
The process of food making in producers
Sunlight + CO₂ (carbon dioxide) + H₂O (Water) →
sugar (energy) + O₂ (Oxygen)
Consumer
An organism that eats other organism (heterotroph)
Herbivore
An organism that only eats plants
Carnivore
An organism that only eats animals
Scavenger
An organism that eats organisms that are already dead
Omnivore
An organism that eats both plants and animals
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down the remains of dead plants and animals (recycles)
Food chain
The transfer of energy (food) from one organism to another
Food web
When different chains overlap
Competition
The contest among organisms to get all they need to survive
Niche
The role (job) a species has within a community
Predator
An organism that kills and eats prey to obtain energy
Prey
An organism that gets eaten by a predator
Limiting factors
an environmental factor that causes the population to decrease
Symbiosis
A relationship where food,shelter,support or transportation is provided for one or both organisms
Natural selection
The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources.
Process in which a species becomes better suited to its environment.
