unit 2 ecology Flashcards
Abiotic Factors
non living part of an ecosystem
Autotrophs
an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals
Biotic Factors
living things of an ecosystem
Bioaccumulation
an increase in the concentration of a chemical in a biological organism over time, compared to the chemical’s
Carbon Sink
anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases
Carnivore
animal that eats meat
Competition
competition against animals for needs.
Commensalism
an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
Consumer
one that consumes goods
Decomposer
one that decomposed/breaks down things.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a system that environments and their organisms form through their interaction.
Energy Pyramid
a pyramaid of how energy moves throught a ecosystrm or animals
Food Chain
circle of life
Food Web
how animals eat in a ecosystem
Habitat
where an organism lives
Herbivore
feeds on plants
Heterotrophs
A heterotroph is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon,
Leaching
the loss or extraction of certain materials from a carrier into a liquid
Limiting Factor
A limiting factor is anything that constrains a population’s size and slows or stops it from growing
Mutualism
association between organisms of two different species in which each benefits.
Niche
thing that an animal has that helps them survive and thrive
Ocean Acidification
a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Omnivore
An omnivore is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter.
Parasitism
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life
