Unit 6 (ecology) Flashcards
the study of the intereactions of living organisms
ecology
a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area
population
a role of a species in its community, including use of its habitat and its relationships with other species
niche
a community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving, enviroment
ecosystem
an enviromental factor that is NOT associated with the activities of living organisms
abiotic factor
an enviromental factor that is associated with or results from the activities of living organisms
biotic factor
the place where an organism usually lives
habitat
all of the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other
community
a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystems loss of energy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystems food chain; each rows in the pyramid represents a trophic (feeding) level in an ecosystem, and the area of a row represents the energy stored in that trophic level
energy pyramid
the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms
food chain
a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
food web
an organism that eats only plants
herbivore
an organism that eats animals
carnivore
an organism that eats both plants and animals
omnivore
the largest population that an enviroment can support at any given time
carrying capacity
an enviromental factor that prevents an organism or population from reaching its full potential of size or activity
limiting factor
an interaction between two or more living things in which they are said to work together
cooperation
an organism that kills and eats or part of another organism
predator
a relationship between two species in which both species benifit
mutualism
ecological relationship in which two or more organisms depend on the same limited resource
competion
an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
prey
a relationship between two species in which one species, the parasite, benifits from the other species, the host, which is harmed
parasitism
a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other
symbiosis
a relationship between two organisms in which one organism benifits and the other is unaffected
commensalism
