ecology vocab

Question 1

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

Answer 1

ecology

Question 2

a place where a particular population of a species has everything it needs to live, grow, and reproduce

Answer 2

habitat

Question 3

a community and all of the physical aspects of its habitat (including soil, air, water, and weather)

Answer 3

ecosystem

Question 4

physical rather than biological

Answer 4

abiotic

Question 5

the living organisms of a habitat

Answer 5

biotic

Question 6

a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characterstics in common

Answer 6

community

Question 7

all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area

Answer 7

biodiversity

Question 8

the first organisms to live in a new habitat. Usually small, fast growing plants

Answer 8

pioneer species

Question 9

a number of people or things sharing a specififed characterstics

Answer 9

succession

Question 10

succession that occurs where plants have not grown before (ex: volcanoes, receding glaciers)

Answer 10

primary succession

Question 11

secondary ecological succession of a plants life

Answer 11

secondary succession

Question 12

synthesis of organic compounds from atmospheric or carbon dixoide

Answer 12

primary succession

Question 13

organisms that make their own food (producers)

Answer 13

autotrophs

Question 14

an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients

Answer 14

heterotroph

Question 15

organisms that capture energy from the sun/light and make their own food in the process of photosynthesis

Answer 15

producer

Question 16

Organisms that eat other living things

Answer 16

consumer

Question 17

the position of an organism in the food chain

Answer 17

trophic level

Question 18

the path of energy through the trophic levels of an ecosystem

Answer 18

food chain

Question 19

animal that eats plants

Answer 19

herbivores

Question 20

organisms that eat other animals in order to get their energy

Answer 20

carnivores

Question 21

an animal or person that eats both plants and animals

Answer 21

omnivores

Question 22

organisms that obtain energy from organic waste and dead bodies and release the nutrients back into the environment

Answer 22

detritivores

Question 23

consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem

Answer 23

food web

Question 24

the total quantity or weight of organisms

Answer 24

biomass

Question 25

the act of one organism feeding on another

Answer 25

predation

Question 26

two or more species that live together in a close long-term association

Answer 26

symbiosis

Question 27

a relationship between the two living species in which one organism is benefitted at the expense of the other

Answer 27

parasitism

Question 28

a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit (ex: bees and flowering plants)

Answer 28

mutualism

Question 29

a unique relationship between two species wherein one species draws food, shelter, or transport from the other without harming it

Answer 29

commensalism

Question 30

the entire range of conditions an organism is potentially able to occupy

Answer 30

fundamental niche

Question 31

role an organisms plays

Answer 31

niche

Question 32

major biological community of flora(plants) and fauna(animals) that occurs over a large area of land

Answer 32

biome

Question 33

a species that is not native to a specific location and that has a tendency to cause damage to the environment and native species

Answer 33

invasive species

Question 34

the purposeful clearing of forested land

Answer 34

deforestation

Question 35

a fuel that comes from the remains of organisms ex: coal; nonrenewable

Answer 35

fossil fuel

Question 36

any factor (biotic or abiotic) that limits the size of a population

Answer 36

limiting factors

Question 37

an animal that naturally preys on others

Answer 37

predator

Question 38

animal that is caught and killed by others for food

Answer 38

prey