Ecology vocab Flashcards
Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and their environment
Biotic factors
Living factors in an organisms environment
Abiotic factors
Non-living factors in an organisms environment
Limiting factors
The mount of resources for each individual DECREASES as the number of organisms in the population INCREASE
Carrying Capacity
The number of organisms that an ecosystem can sustainably support
Symbiosis
A relationship in which two organisms live together in close association
Invasive species
A species introduced into a habitat that has no natural predator
Autotrophs
An organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances
Heterotrophs
An organism that gets energy by consuming other organisms
Herbivores
An organism that eats strictly plants
Carnivores
An organism that strictly feeds n meat
Omnivores
An organism that eats food of both plants and animals
Food chain
A hierarchical series of organisms that each depend on the next source
Food web
Consists of all the food chains in a single ecostystem
Nutrient
A substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life
Succession
The change in either species composition, structure, or architecture of vegetation through time
Biogeochemical cycle
The movement of nutrients and other elements between biotic and abiotic factors
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants use sunlight to synthesize food from carbon dioxide and water
Respiration
In physiology, respiration is the movement of oxygen from the outside environment to the cells within tissues, and the removal of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction that’s to the environment
Nitrogen Fixation
An important process in the nitrogen cycle in which N2 from air s reduced to NH3 which can be further converted
Denitrification
The microbial process of reducing nitrate and nitrite to gaseous forms of nitrogen
Biosphere
The portion of Earth that supports life
Population
Individual organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time
Biological Community
Group of populations that interact in the same area at the same time
