Mr. E's Symbiotic Relationships

Ecology

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment

Ecosystem

A community of interdependent organisms and the physical environment they inhabit.

Producer (Autotroph)

Organisms that can produce their own food

Consumer (Heterotroph)

Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy supply: eaters

Herbivore

Eats plants

Carnivore

Eats other animals

Omnivore

Eats both plants and animals

Decomposer

Breaks down dead organic matter... Largely responsible for the recycling of materials within an ecosystem

Biotic Factors

The living parts of an ecosystem

Abiotic Factors

The nonliving parts of an ecosystem

Food chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy and matter by eating and being eaten

Food web

The pattern of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem

Symbiosis

A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species

Habitat

Where an organism lives

Trophic pyramid

a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy from one feeding level to another in a food web.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and one remains unaffected

Parasitsm

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism (A Parasite) benefits and gets its nutrients from the host

Predation

When one organism captures and feeds on another

An Invasive Species

Non-native and harmful to the economy, environment, or human health

Lichens

Are a pioneer species

Examples of Producers

Grass, trees, and shrubs

Primary succession occurs

After floods and fires