Ecology - Unit 1 (Introduction to Ecosystems) Flashcards
ecosystem
- community of organisms
- their physical environment such as the soil, water, and air.
Biotic factors
Biotic factors are LIVING components that inhabit an
ecosystem.
Ex: animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria
Abiotic factors
Abiotic factors are nonliving components of an
ecosystem.
Ex: Soil nutrients, Light availability, and Dissolved oxygen
Individual
An organism that can breed within the same species
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species
ex: THREE moose
Community
Different populations that live together in a defined geographical area
ex: moose, gopher, owl, bobcat, bunny
Ecosystem
- community of organisms
- lives together in a defined geographical area with their nonliving environment
ex: animals, coniferous (evergreen) trees, water, air
Biome
an area classified according to the species that live in that location
ex: desert, forest, wetland
Biosphere
The part of the planet in which life exists, its where all living things reside
ex: soil, water, air
Ecological Niche
how an organism survives
● It is determined by:
● its resources necessary for life
(e.g. water, nutrients, light)
● the conditions it needs to survive and reproduce
(e.g. space, temperature)
● interactions with biotic factors
(e.g. predation)
Competition
- when two species attempt to use the same ecological resources at the same place at the same time
Producers
- usually plants or an autotrophic organism
- makes their own food
- autotrophs
ex: grass, trees, and shrubs
Consumers
- organisms that must eat other organisms for chemical energy
- aka heterotrophs
Primary Consumers
Herbivores (only eat plants)
ex: bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, nematodes, mites, snails, slugs
Secondary Consumers
Omnivores or carnivores (eat plants & animals)
ex: Spiders, snakes, and seals
Tertiary Consumers
Carnivores that eats the secondary consumers (primarily animals)
ex: sharks, sea lions, eagles, hawks, lions, tigers, crocodiles, pythons
Food Chains
A food chain depicts the flow of ONE PATH of
energy in an ecosystem
○ A food chain always starts with a producer
○ In a food chain, the arrows always point
towards the consumer
Food Webs
a collection of food chains
interconnected in the same ecosystem
○ A food web may contain multiple
producers and consumers that are part
of one or more food chains
Predator
The hunter. Predators are carnivores.
Prey
The hunted. Many prey species are also herbivores.
Solar energy
- Energy from the sun
- the original source of energy that supports the entire ecosystem
Photosynthesis
The process by which autotrophs/producers make their own food using abiotic/inorganic compounds from the environment.
Competitive Exclusion Principle
two species can’t exist at the same time or in the same place if they occupy exactly the same niche
Quaternary Consumers
the top predators in their environments, and they prey on tertiary consumers, which they consume
ex: lions, wolves, polar bears, humans, and hawks
The arrowhead depicts the flow of ____ and ____ from ____ to ____.
The arrowhead depicts the flow of energy and biomass from one organism to another.
Autotroph
- Producers
- able to make their own food from raw materials and energy
ex: plants, algae, plankton and bacteria
Heterotroph
- Consumers
- organisms that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients
ex: dogs, birds, fish, and humans
Carnivores
organism that mostly eats meat, or the flesh of animals
ex: wolves and mountain lions
Omnivores
an organism that eats plants and animals
ex: bears, birds, dogs, raccoons, foxes, certain insects, and humans
Host
a living organism that acts as a shelter for invading pathogenic organisms
Parasite
An organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host
Ecological Succession
the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time
Adaptation
the adjustment of organisms to their environment in order to improve their chances at survival in that environment
ex: succulents adapts by storing water in their thick stems
Biodiversity
all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area
ex: a forest w/ many trees, many bird species, big and small mammals
