Mrs. Sultan Ecology flashcards
Ecology
the study of interactions between organisms and the environment
species
one type of organism
Biotic factor
all the parts of an environment that are living
Abiotic factor
all the parts of an environment that are nonliving
Habitat
the place where an organism lives in it’s community
population
all the organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time
community
all the populations that live in the same place at the same time
ecosystem
a community reacting with all the abiotic parts of its environment
( all the Biotic and Abiotic parts of an area )
Energy pyramid
diagram showing tropic level / level in food chain
sun
main source of energy for all living things
producer
makes it’s own food (autotroph)
photosynthesis
the process of food making in producers
Sunlight + CO₂ (carbon dioxide) + H₂O (Water) → sugar (energy) + O₂ (Oxygen)
consumer
an organism that eats other organisms (heterotroph)
Herbivore
an organism that only eats plants
Carnivore
an organism that only eats animals
Scavenger
an organism that eats organisms that are already dead
omnivore
an organism that eats both plants and animals
decomposer
an organism that breaks down the remains of dead plants and animals (recycles)
food chain
the transfer of energy (food) from one organism to another
food web
when different chains overlap
Competition
a contest among organisms to get all they need to survive
Niche
a role (job) a species has within a community
Predator
an organism that kills and eats prey to obtain energy
prey
an organism that gets eaten by a predator
limiting factors
an environmental factor that causes the population to decrease
symbiosis
a relationship where food, shelter, support, or transportation is provided for one of both organisms
natural selection
the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources
Process in which a species becomes better suited to it’s environment
levels in energy pyramid
primary producer, first level consumer, second level consumer, third level consumer
definition for energy pyramid levels
primary producer: plants
first level consumer: eats plants
Second level consumer: eats first level consumer
third level consumer: eats second level consumer
transfer of energy in energy pyramid
each level in the energy pyramid is 10% of the energy of the organism below it in the pyramid
symbiosis types
3 types of symbiosis are mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism
predation
when an organism kills another organism for food
organism
a living thing ( has all characteristics of a living thing
3 main ecological relationships
symbiosis, compitition, predation
process of photosynthesis
Sunlight + CO₂ (carbon dioxide) + H₂O (Water) → sugar (energy) + O₂ (Oxygen)
