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Ecosystems
Organisms and their Environment
Term | Definition |
---|---|
ecosystem | all the organisms that live in an area together with all the nonliving factors of the environment |
ecology | the study of ecosystems |
organism | only one of any particular species; examples - 1 lion, 1 tree |
population | all the organisms of the same species at the same place and time; example: all the squirrels in Memorial Parkway |
community | all the populations sharing the same environment |
habitat | the place where an organism lives |
niche | the special role an organism plays within its habitat |
biotic | the living factors in an ecosystem |
abiotic | the non-living factors in an ecosystem |
photosynthesis | process producers use to make their own chemical energy from the sun |
sun | the first step in any food chain |
cell | the basic unit of all living things |
multi-cellular | an organism composed of more than one cell |
uni-cellular | an organism composed of only one cell |
microscope | tool used for observing specimens too small to be seen with the naked eye |
prokaryotic | a cell without membrane bound internal structures; e.g. - no nucleus |
eukaryotic | a cell with membrane bound internal structures such as a nucleus |
DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic material in a cell; the brains of the cell |
nucleus | the membrane bound organism in a cell that contains the DNA |
heterotrophic | an organism that consumes other organisms to get the energy it needs to live |
autotrophic | an organism that makes its own food, usually through photosynthesis |
asexual reproduction | requires genetic material from only one parent |
sexual reproduction | requires genetic material from two parents |
bacteria | a prokaryotic domain; organisms in this domain are found everywhere |
archaea | a prokaryotic domain; organisms in this domain live only in extreme environments |
domain | the largest group in the classification system; there are three - archaea, bacteria and eukarya |
animalia | a eukarya kingdom; animals are multi-cellular, reproduce sexually, have cell membranes and heterotrophic |
kingdom | the second level in the classification hierarchy, there are six |
taxonomic classification | the system for organizing all living things; domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species |
plantae | a eukarya kingdom; plants are multi-cellular, reproduce sexually, have cell walls and are autotrophic |
protista | a eukarya kingdom; most protists are unicellular, reproduce asexually, have cell membranes. they can be either autotrophic or heterotrophic |
fungi | a eukarya kingdom; fungi have cell walls, are heterotrophic, most reproduce asexually. they can be uni or multi-cellular |
eukarya | a eukaryotic domain, includes the kingdoms of organisms that have a nucleus in their cells: plants, animals, protists and fungi |