Ecosystems Flashcards
Ecosystems - (definition)
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Biotic factors
Living factors such as predators or disease that can affect population size
Abiotic factors
Non-living factor such as weather than can affect population size
Population - (definition)
Members of one species living in one region at a particular time
Community - (definition)
Biological unit consisting all the populations living in a specific area at a specific time
Producers
Creates energy from external sources
(Autotrophs)
Consumers
Organisms that obtain their energy and organic matter by eating or absorbing the organic matter of other organisms
Decomposers
Organisms that break down and absorb organic matter of dead organisms or their products.
Food chain
A network of links in a food web starting from producer organisms
Trophic level
Position an organism holds in a food web
Keystone species
A species whose presence in the ecosystem is essential for the maintenance and survival of that ecosystem.
