Term
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Definition
| the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their physical environment |
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Definition
| a single living thing; the first and simplest level of organization that ecologists study |
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| the region in which an organism lives |
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| all of the organisms of the same species that share a habitat the second level of organization that ecologists study |
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| all of the different populations in a particular area that interact with one another; the third level of organization that ecologists study |
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| the total area of Earth where living things are found; the narrow zone around Earth that supports life |
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| includes the living community as well as the physical environment in which the organisms live; the fourth and most complex level of organization that ecologists study |
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DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM [image] |
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Definition
| any system with constant change in which the components can adjust to the changes without distrubing the entire system |
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Definition
| the factor that is the most critical in determining the types of organisms that can exist in an ecosystem; an environmental factor that limits the growth, abundance or distribution of a population of organisms in an ecosystem |
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PRODUCERS OR AUTOTROPHS [image] |
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Definition
| an organism that makes its own food, usually using energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis |
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Definition
| microscopic algae that obtain energy through photosynthesis; they are found at the surface of oceans, seas, and freshwater bodies |
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CONSUMERS OR HETEROTROPHS [image] |
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Definition
| an organism that consumes other organisms or biotic waste in order to survive |
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HERBIVORE OR PRIMARY CONSUMER [image] |
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Definition
| an organism (consumer) that eats plants (producer) |
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Definition
| a type of microscopic plankton that can be found in oceans, seas, freshwater bodies feed on phytoplankton |
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Definition
| an organism (consumer) that eats other animals (consumers) |
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Definition
| an organism (consumer) that eats both plants (producers) and animals (consumers) |
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Definition
| a decomposer that feeds on the waste material in an ecosystem, including the bodies of other organisms that have died, plant debris, and animal feces |
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Definition
| a consumer that breaks down the complex molecules found in dead organisms and waster matter into simpler molecues |
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Definition
| the decay process that makes the nutrients contained in waste and dead matter available to produces once again |
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Definition
| an ecological interaction that occurs when a predator captures and consumes prey |
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Definition
| an organism that lives by preying on other organisms |
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Term
PREDATOR-PREY CYCLE [image] |
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Definition
| describes the predator-prey relationship in terms of the effects on the size of both populations |
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Term
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Definition
| a specialized form of interaction between two different species; often each species develops very specialized behaviours, life cycles, or structures. Includes mutualism, commensalism and parasitism |
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Definition
| a symbiotic interaction in which both species obtain some benefit from the interaction |
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Definition
| a symbiotic interaction in which one organism benefits while the other is unaffected |
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Definition
| a symbiotic interaction where one organism (the parasite) benefits as the expense of another organism (host), which is often harmed but usually not killed |
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Definition
| the organism that benefits in a symbiotic relationship; the other organism is harmed |
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Definition
| the organism that is harmed in a symbiotic relationship; the other organisms (parasite) benefits |
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Definition
| a category of living things that descibes the position of an organism in relation to the order of nutrient and energy transfers in an ecosystem; the first trophic level contains autotrophs and each higher level contains heterotrophs |
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Definition
| a representation of the nutrient and energy pathways in an ecosystem showing many cross-linked food chains |
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Term
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID OR FOOD PYRAMID [image] |
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Definition
| A representation of energy flow in food chains and webs also called a food pyramid |
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Term
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Definition
| an ecological pyramid that represents how much energy is avialable in each trophic level; the size of each level represents the amount of energy present in that trophic level |
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Term
PYRAMID OF NUMBERS [image] |
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Definition
| an ecological pyramid that represents the actual number of organisms present in each trophic level; the shape of a pyramid of numbers varies widely depending on the physical size of the producers |
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Term
PYRAMID OF BIOMASS [image] |
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Definition
| an ecological pyramid that represents a snapshot of the total mass of the lving things at each trophic level in a community for most communities, the pyramid of biomass has the standard pyramid shape |
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