Question | Answer |
ecology | the study of interactions that occur among organisms and their environment |
producer | organisms that use an outside energy source, such as the sun, to make energy-rich molecules |
consumer | organisms that cannor make their own energy-rich molecules |
symbiosis | any close relationship between species |
mutualism | a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit |
commensalism | a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected |
parasitism | a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is harmed |
niche | how an organism survives, including its habitat, how it avoids danger |
habitat | the place in which an organism lives |
community | all the populations in an ecosystem |
population | all the organisms in an ecosystem |
ecosystem | all the organisms living in an area and the nonliving features of their environment |
biosphere | the part of the earth that supports life, including the top portion of Earths crust, all the waters that cover Earths surface, and surrounding atmosphere |
limited factor | anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population |
carrying capacity | the largest number of individuals of one species that an ecosystem can support over time |
predator | consumer that captures and eats other consumers |
prey | the organism that is captured by the predator |
competion | two or more organisms seek the same resource at the same time; two types: competion for food, living space, or other resources can limit the populations size; and the competion is usually most intense between members of diferent species |
chemosynthesis | some producers, found near volcanic vents on the floor, use inorganic molecules as energy sources for ___ |
food web | shows all the possible feeding relationship among the organisms in a community |
energy pyramid | shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level in an ecosystem |
food chain | a simple way of showing how matter and energy pass from one organism to another |