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Unit 1 Ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ecology | The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment. |
| Food Web | A model showing interconnected food chains and feeding relationships within an ecosystem. |
| Food Chain | A model showing a single pathway of energy transfer from one organism to another. |
| Producer | An organism that makes its own food and forms the base of an ecosystem's energy pathways. |
| Consumer | An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms. |
| Primary Producer | An autotroph that captures energy and produces organic food forming the first trophic level. |
| Secondary Producer | An organism that produces biomass from energy obtained by consuming other organisms; in food-web terminology this is more commonly described as a consumer. |
| Tertiary Consumer | A consumer that obtains energy by feeding on secondary consumers. |
| Quaternary Consumer | A consumer at a high trophic level that obtains energy by feeding on tertiary consumers. |
| Decomposer | An organism that breaks down dead organisms and wastes returning nutrients to the environment. |
| Trophic levels | The feeding positions in a food chain or food web through which energy is transferred. |
| Carbon Cycle | The movement of carbon among the atmosphere organisms oceans and Earth through processes such as photosynthesis respiration decomposition and combustion. |
| Water Cycle | The continuous movement of water through Earth's systems by processes such as evaporation condensation precipitation runoff and transpiration. |
| Biogeochemical | Relating to the movement of matter through living organisms and the biological geological and chemical parts of Earth. |
| Heterotroph | An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by consuming other organisms or organic matter. |
| Autotroph | An organism that makes its own organic food using light or chemical energy. |
| Energy Pyramid | A diagram showing the amount of energy available at each trophic level; available energy decreases at higher trophic levels. |
| Biomass Pyramid | A diagram showing the total amount of living organic matter present at each trophic level. |
| Herbivore | A consumer that eats producers such as plants or algae. |
| Carnivore | A consumer that eats other animals. |
| Emigration | The movement of individuals out of a population. |
| Immigration | The movement of individuals into a population. |
| Limiting factor | A biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the size growth or distribution of a population. |
| Biotic | Living or once-living components of an ecosystem. |
| Abiotic | Nonliving physical or chemical components of an ecosystem. |
| Carrying Capacity | The largest population size an environment can sustainably support with available resources and limiting factors. |
| Aquatic | Relating to water or environments in which organisms live in water. |
| Salinity | The concentration of dissolved salts in water. |
| Climate change | A long-term change in average climate conditions that can alter ecosystems populations and biodiversity. |
| Seasonal Variations | Predictable environmental changes associated with seasons that can affect ecosystem conditions and organisms. |
| Biodiversity | The variety of life in an area including diversity of genes species and ecosystems. |
| Non-Native | Describing a species living outside its natural geographic range often because of human introduction. |
| Primary succession | The gradual development of a biological community in an area where no soil previously existed. |
| Secondary succession | The reestablishment of a biological community after a disturbance in an area where soil remains. |
| auto- | self |
| bi- | two |
| bio- | life |
| chem- | chemical or chemistry |
| geo- | Earth |
| herb- | plant |
| heter- | different or other |
| hydr- | water |
| photo- | light |
| troph- | nourishment feeding or nutrition |
| vor- | eat or devour |
| Desalination | The process of removing dissolved salts from seawater or brackish water to produce fresh water. |
| Renewable resources | Natural resources that can be replenished naturally on a relatively short human timescale. |
| Non Renewable resources | Natural resources that form so slowly that they cannot be replaced at the rate humans use them. |
| Fossil fuels | Nonrenewable energy resources such as coal oil and natural gas formed from ancient organic matter. |
| Sustainability | Using resources in ways that meet current needs while maintaining environmental systems and resources for the future. |
| Ecological footprint | A measure of the biologically productive land and water needed to support resource use and absorb wastes. |
| a-/an- | without not or lacking |
| de- | down away from removal or reversal |
| in- | in into or not depending on the word |
Created by:
KellyKirvin
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