Ecology vocab Flashcards
Biotic
Living factors in the environment.
Abiotic
Nonliving parts of the environment such as water, rocks, light and temperature.
Limiting Factors
Anything that constraints a population
Symbiosis
A relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other.
Mutualism
A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit.
Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.
Parasitism
A symbiotic association in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed.
Herbivore
An organism that eats only plants
Carnivore
An organism that eats only animals
Omnivore
An organism that eats both plants and animals.
Consumer
Organisms that eat other organisms
Producer
An organism that makes its own food from sunlight or chemicals, such as plants.
Decomposer
Organisms that get energy by breaking down dead organisms.
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make glucose (sugar) and oxygen.
Cellular Respiration
The process by which all organisms use glucose (sugar) and oxygen to produce ATP. The waste products are carbon dioxide and water.
Food Chain
The pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms.
Food Web
A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.
Energy Pyramid
A triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem’s loss of energy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystem’s food chain.
Trophic Level
The position an organism occupies in a food web (i.e.: Producer, Primary Consumer, Secondary Consumer, Tertiary Consumer, Quaternary Consumer)
Carrying Capacity
The largest population that an environment can support at any given time.
The Carbon Cycle
The movement of carbon between the environment and living things.
Biomes
A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities.
Tropical Rainforest
Hot and rainy region characterized by broad-leaf trees and high biodiversity.
Temperate Forest
Regions with high levels of precipitation, humidity, and deciduous trees. Has distinct seasons.
Savanna
A grassland that has scattered trees and seasonal rains.
Desert
A region that has little or no plant life, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures; usually found in hot climates.
Tundra
A treeless plain found in the Arctic, in the Antarctic, or on the tops of mountains that is characterized by very low winter temperatures and short, cool summers.
Boreal Forest
Also called Taiga or Coniferous Forest. Region characterized by long cold winters, short cool summers, and coniferous trees.
Freshwater
Naturally occurring water that is found in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater
Estuaries
An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.
Marine
Water based ecosystems that are characterized by salt water.
Biodiversity
The number and variety of organisms in a given area during a specific period of time.
