Module #3 Test Flashcards
Ecology
The study of the interactions between living and non living things
Population
A group of interbreeding organisms coexisting together
Community
A group of population living and interacting in the same area
Ecosystem
An association of living organisms and their physical environment
Biome
A group of ecosystem classified by climate and plant life
Biosphere
The sum of all of Earth’s ecosystems in land, water, or air
Species
A unit of one or more populations of individuals that can reproduce under normal conditions, produce fertile offspring, and are reproductively isolated from other such units
Biotic factors
Any living part of an environment
Abiotic or antibiotic factors
The nonliving physical and chemical conditions affecting organisms
Producers
Organisms that produce their own food
Consumers
Organisms that eat living producers and/or other consumers for food
Decomposers
Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms
Primary consumer
An organism that eats producers
Secondary consumer
An organism that eats primary consumer
Tertiary consumer
An organism that eats secondary consumer
Quaternary consumer
An organism that eats tertiary consumers
Food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Food web
Links all the food chains in an ecosystem together
Biomass
A measure of the total amount of living tissue of organisms within a trophic level in an ecosystem
Primary producers
Rate at which producers in an ecosystem build biomass
Ecological pyramids
Pyramid-shaped diagrams that show the amount of energy or matter at each trophic level in an ecosystem
Transpiration
Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant
Greenhouse effect
The process by which certain gases (principally water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane), trap heat that would otherwise escape the Earth and radiate into space
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two or more species where at least one benefits
Habitat
The specific environment of an organism, both biotic and abiotic
Niche
An organism’s role in its ecosystem, including its habitat, physical requirements (such as light, water, food sources), the time of day it is active, place on food chain, and when and how it reproduces
Mutualism
A symbiotic relationship between two or more organisms of different species where all benefit from association
Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefitted
Parasitism
A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
Exponential growth
Population growth that is unhindered because of the abundance of resources for ever-increasing population
Logistic growth
Population growth that is controlled by limited resources or the presence of predators or both