Ecology Terms Flashcards
Autotroph
Autotrophic organisms use solar energy (photo autotrophs) or the energy in inorganic compounds (chemo autotrophs) as a source of energy. Plants are autotrophs.
Abiotic Factors
Abiotic Factors are the non-living things that are part of the environment such as soil type, salinity, wave action, humidity, temperature, rainfall, wind.
Biotic Factors
Are the living organisms in an Ecosystem.
Community
Community is represented by all of the organisms that inhabit a particular place at a particular time.
Chemical Energy
Energy stored in chemical bonds.
Chemoautotroph
An autotrophic organism that can obtain the energy it needs by oxidizing inorganic substances.
Consumers
Consumers are organisms that obtain energy by consuming another organism.
Decomposers
Decomposers are organisms that break down dead organisms.
Detritivores
Consumers that obtain energy by feeding on organic wastes and dead organisms.
Ecology
Ecology is the study of how living things interact with their environment.
Ecological Pyramid
Ecological pyramid are a graphical representations of the amount of energy, biomass, or number of organisms, associated with each trophic level. The term gets its name from its typical inverted ‘V’ or pyramid-like shape.
Ecosystem
A functional system that encompasses all the members of a biological community, their interactions with each other, and their interactions with the abiotic environment.
The first law of thermodynamics
The law of thermodynamics that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
Food Chain
A single pathway which shows the flow of energy (food) through some individuals in a community.
Food Web
A diagram that depicts numerous food chains and feeding relationships in a community.
