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Garth Ecology Vocab
Bio semester 1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Organism | A form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes. |
| Predator | Any organism that exists by preying upon other organisms. |
| Prey | An animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal. |
| Symbiotic Relationship | A relationship between two entities which is mutually beneficial for the participants of the relationship. |
| Commensalism | A type of relationship between two species of a plant, animal, fungus, etc., in which one lives with, on, or in another without damage to either. |
| Mutualism | A symbiotic relationship in which each of the organisms benefits. |
| Parasitism | A relation between organisms in which one lives as a parasite on another. |
| Food Chain | A series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc. |
| Food Web | A series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community. |
| Trophic Level | Any of the sequential stages in a food chain, occupied by producers at the bottom and in turn by primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers. |
| Producer | An autotrophic organism that serves as a source of food for other organisms in a food chain. |
| Consumer | A heterotrophic organism that feeds on other organisms in a food chain. |
| Herbivore | An animal that feeds mainly or only on plants. In a food chain, herbivores are primary consumers. |
| Carnivore | An animal that feeds chiefly on the flesh of other animals. Carnivores include predators such as lions and alligators, and scavengers such as hyenas and vultures. |
| Omnivore | An organism that eats both plants and animals. |
| Detritivore | An organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the ecosystem. |
| Autotroph | An organism that manufactures its own food from inorganic substances, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia. |
| Heterotroph | An organism that cannot manufacture its own food and instead obtains its food and energy by taking in organic substances, usually plant or animal matter. |
| Apex Predator | An animal who, as an adult, has no natural predators in its ecosystem. |
| Decomposer | An organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances. |