Interactions and Interdependence (Key words) Flashcards
What is ecology?
Study of interactions between living things and with their physical and chemical environment.
What are ecosystems?
All of the living things and non-living things in an environment and the different ways in which they interact with each other.
What are protists?
Single celled organisms that may be free living or living in colonies.
What is a population?
Group of individuals of the same species living in the same ecosystem at the same time.
What is a community?
Different populations that interact with one another in the same ecosystem.
What is the biosphere?
All the different ecosystems on Earth.
What is a habitat?
Place where organisms live.
What are biotic factors?
All the plants and animals in an ecosystem, as well as their interactions.
What are abiotic factors?
All the non-living things in an ecosystem.
What are producers?
Green plants that can make their own food.
What are herbivores?
Animals that eat plants.
What are carnivores?
Animals that feed on other animals that are living or dead.
What are consumers?
Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply.
What are predators?
Carnivores that hunt other animals.
What are prey?
Animals hunted and eaten by the predator.
What are scavengers?
Carnivores that feed on dead animals or decaying meat.
What are insectivores?
Carnivores that feed on insects.
What are omnivores?
Animals that eat plants and other animals.
What are decomposers?
Organisms that break down or decompose the remains of dead plants and animals and their wastes.
What are digestive enzymes?
Substances made by an organism that break down food.
What is sewage?
Human and domestic waste from people’s homes.
What is a food chain?
Number of steps in an ecosystem showing the transfer of energy between organisms.
What is a food web?
Group of interconnected food chains.
What is a trophic level?
Steps in a food chain or food web.
What are disruptions?
Something that interferes with a process.
What is pollution?
Harm done to the environment by the release of harmful materials and substances produced by human activities.
What are pollutants?
Chemicals or wastes that contaminate the water, air and soil.
What are fossil fuels?
Energy containing compound such as coal, oil or natural gas that was formed millions of years ago.
What is poaching?
Illegally removing animals or plants from the wild.
What is an adaptation?
Characteristic that helps a living thing survive in its environment.
What is a variation?
Differences between individuals in a population.
What does extinct mean?
There are no more of a species left on Earth.
What does camouflage mean?
Colours and shapes help animals blend in well with the environment.
What does mimicry mean?
Harmless species copies another poisonous species.
What does biodiversity mean?
Total variety of species in an area.
What are monocultures?
Single crop species planted over large areas.
What are alien species?
Species that is not indigenous to a specific area.
What is conservation?
Wise management and use of natural resources that protects habitats and wildlife.
What is sustainable use?
Using resources wisely so that they are not depleted.
