ecology vocab

Question 1

Abiotic Factors

Answer 1

a nonliving condition or thing, as climate or habitat

Question 2

Autotrophs

Answer 2

an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.

Question 3

Biotic Factors

Answer 3

he living components (organisms) that shape up the environment.

Question 4

Bioaccumulation

Answer 4

an increase in the concentration of a chemical over time in a biological organism compared to the chemical’s concentration in the environment.

Question 5

Carbon Sink

Answer 5

anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases

Question 6

Carnivore

Answer 6

an animal that feeds on flesh.

Question 7

Commensalism

Answer 7

two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.

Question 8

Competition

Answer 8

the activity or condition of competing.

Question 9

Consumer

Answer 9

an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other plants and/or animals to get energy.

Question 10

Decomposer

Answer 10

feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter

Question 11

Ecosystem

Answer 11

a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in a particular area.

Question 12

Energy Pyramid

Answer 12

a model that shows the flow of energy from one trophic to the next in an ecosystem

Question 13

Food Chain

Answer 13

a series of organisms that eat one another so that energy and nutrients flow from one to the next.

Question 14

Food Web

Answer 14

consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem.

Question 15

Habitat

Answer 15

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Question 16

Herbivore

Answer 16

an animal that feeds on plants.

Question 17

Heterotrophs

Answer 17

an organism that eats other plants or animals

Question 18

Leaching

Answer 18

a natural process where substances are dissolved and removed from a solid by a solution, which is later extracted or deposited.

Question 19

Limiting Factor

Answer 19

nything that constrains a population’s size and slows or stops it from growing.

Question 20

Mutualism

Answer 20

two different species in which each benefits.

Question 21

Niche

Answer 21

the role an organism plays in a community

Question 22

Ocean Acidification

Answer 22

a change in the properties of ocean water that can be harmful for plants and animals.

Question 23

Omnivore

Answer 23

an animal that eats both plant and animals

Question 24

Parasitism

Answer 24

one organism is harmed while the other benefits

Question 25

phytoplankton

Answer 25

plankton consisting of microscopic plants.

Question 26

Pioneer Species

Answer 26

the species that first colonize new habitats created by disturbance.

Question 27

Population

Answer 27

groups of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

Question 27

Predation

Answer 27

where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey.

Question 28

Predator

Answer 28

organisms that hunt and kill other organisms for food.

Question 29

Prey

Answer 29

animals that are killed and eaten by other animals.

Question 30

Primary Succession

Answer 30

when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time.

Question 31

Producer

Answer 31

an organism that creates its own food or energy.

Question 32

Secondary Succession

Answer 32

happens when a climax community or intermediate community is impacted by a disturbance.

Question 33

Species Overshoot

Answer 33

Phenomenon in which populations temporarily exceed carrying capacity of environment.

Question 34

Sustainability

Answer 34

the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.