Ecosystem Vocabulary Flashcards
Producer
An organism that makes its own food; doesn’t consume other animals
Consumer
An organism that can’t make its own food; depends on other plants and animals for nourishment
Predator
An animal that hunts other animals for food
Prey
An animal that is hunted by other animals
Species
A group of organisms that have similar characteristics and can mate to produce offspring
Population
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area
Community
A group of different populations that live and interact together in an environment
Biodiversity
The wide variety of biological life on Earth; The many species of plants, animals, and microorganisms
Biosphere
The part of Earth in which life can exist
Food Chain
A model that shows one set of feeding relationships among living things
Food Web
A model that shows many sets of feeding relationships among living things
Habitat
The location in which an organism lives
Biome
A major ecological community (grassland, desert, etc. )
Ecosystem
A community that includes a group of biotic and abiotic factors that interact with each other
Niche
The place or role that an organism has in its habitat
Symbiosis
An interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association
Mutualism
A relationship of two species of plant, animal, or fungus in which one lives off the other and they both benefit
Commensalism
A relationship of two species of plant, animal, or fungus in which one lives with, on, or in the other without damaging either one
Parasitism
A certain type of non-mutual relationship found between two different species in which one organism benefits at the expense of the other organism
Bacteria Fixing
The process in which nitrogen gas changes to ammonia by bacteria
Lightning Fixing
The process in which nitrogen gas attaches itself to water molecules (precipitation)
