The Living World Flashcards
Abiotic
Relating to non-living things
Biotic
Relating to living things
Consumer
A Creature that eats other animals and/or plant matter
Decomposer
An organism such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled to the environment
Ecosystem
A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
Food chain
The connections between different organisms (plants and animals) that rely on each other as their source of food
Food web
A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food
Nutrient cycling
A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water
Global ecosystem
Very large ecological areas on the Earths surface (biomes), with fauna and flora adapting to their environment. E.g Tropical rainforest and hot desert
Producer
An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the Sun through photosynthesis
Biodiversity
The variety of life in the world or a particular habitat
Commercial farming
Farming to sell produce for a profit to retailers or food processing companies
Deforestation
The chopping down and removal of trees, to clear an area of forest
Logging
The business of cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills
Mineral extraction
The removal of solid mineral resources from the earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metals, such as iron and aluminium; precious stones, such as diamonds; building stones, such as granite and solid fuels, such as coal and oil shale.
