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Ecology
Term | Definition |
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Ecology | Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment |
Biosphere | Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists |
Species | A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring. |
Populations | groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area |
Communities | Assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area |
Ecosystem | A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment |
Biome | A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms |
Biotic Factors | All the living organisms that inhabit an environment |
Abiotic Factors | Non-living factors including temperature |
Habitat | Place where an organism lives |
chemosynthetic organisms | an organism that captures energy from certain chemicals and uses it to produce food |
Autotrophs | Organisms that are able to make their own food(producers) |
Photosysthesis | The process by which some organisms capture the energy from the sun (solar) and transform it into energy (chemical) that can be used by living things. |
Heterotrophs | An organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products.(consumers) |
Herbivores | An organism that eats only plants. |
Carnivores | Consumers that eat only animals |
Omnivores | An organism that eats both plants and animals. |
Detrivores | Consumers that feed at every trophic level |
Decomposers | Fungi and bacteria that break complex organic material into smaller molecules |
Food Chain | a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member |
Food Web | a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains |
Trophic Level | Each step in a food chain or food web |
Pyramid of Energy | Total amount of incoming energy at each level in an ecosystem. The area at the bottom represents the greatest amount of energy in an ecosystem. |
Pyramid of Biomass | Shows the total amount of living material available at each trophic level/ The area at the bottom corresponds to the producer level. It represents the greatest amount of living material. |
Biogeochemical Cycle | Process in which elements |
Evaporation | The change of a liquid to a gas |
Transpiration | Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant |
Condensation | The change from a gas to a liquid |
Precipitation | Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface. |
Nutrients | Compounds in food that the body requires for proper growth |
Denitrification | Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas |
Nitrogen Fixation | Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia |
Niche | Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions |
Competition | A common demand by two or more organisms upon a limited supply of a resource; for example |
Symbiosis | A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species. |
Mutualism | A relationship between two species in which both species benefit |
Commensalism | A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited |
Parasitism | A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed |
Ecological Succession | Gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance |
Primary Succession | An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed |
Pioneer Species | First species to populate an area during primary succession |
Secondary Succession | Changes that occur after a disturbance in an existing ecosystem. |
Carrying Capacity | Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support |