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Week 5 Ch 3 Vocab.
Basic Ecology
Question | Answer |
---|---|
abiotic factor | physical, or non-living, factor that shapes an ecosystem |
autotroph | organism that can produce its own food by turning the sun’s energy into organic compounds; also called a producer |
biogeochemical cycle | process in which elements, chemical compounds and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another |
biotic factor | living factor that shapes organisms within an ecosystem |
carnivore | organism that obtains energy by eating animals (meat) |
commensalism | a symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed |
consumer | an organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply |
decomposer | organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter |
detritivore | organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
succession | gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance |
food chain | series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten. |
food web | network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |