Ecolgy Test

5/9/23

producer

produce energy by capturing sunlight or using chemicals 

consumer

organisms that consume other organisms for food

decomposer

cause decay and release nutrients back into the environment

autotroph

another word for producer

heterotroph

another word for consumer

herbivore

only eat plants

carnivore

only eat flesh

omnivore

eat plants or flesh

biotic factors

living factors that affect an ecosystem

abiotic factors

nonliving factors that affect an ecosystem

succession

regular progression species replacement over time

primary succession

ex. after volcano eruption

secondary succession

ex. after forest fire

pioneer species

the first species to populate an area

natural selection

organisms that are more adapted to their environment are more likely to pass on the genes that aided their success

competition

when two or more species compete for the same resources

trophic level

an assigned level in a food chain based on how an organism gets energy

food chain

the path of energy through the trophic level

food web

multiple connected food chains showing the complex interactions within an ecosystem

energy pyramid

diagram that represents the amount of energy stored in each trophic level

biomass

dry weight of living tissue

biomass pyramid

represents the amount of potential food available for each trophic level

population density

the number of individuals in a given area

random dispersion

scattered, not uniform

uniform dispersion

about equal distance apart, forming a pattern

clumped dispersion

grouped in some places, absent in others

limiting factors

something that causes population growth to decrease

symbiosis

a close, long term relationship shared among species

predation

the act of an organism killing another for food

mutualism

relationship in which both participating individuals benefit

parasitism

symbiotic relationship in which one organism is harmed but the other benefits

commenalism

one individual benefits, the other is neither helped nor harmed

neutralism

two species that interact but do not affect one another

niche

the role an organism plays in its ecosystem

biodiversity

the variety of organisms

individual

one organism and is also one type of organism

population

a group of individuals of the same species living and interbreeding within a given area

community

group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time

ecosystem

geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life

biome

biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate

biosphere

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global ecosystem composed of living organisms (biota) and the abiotic (nonliving) factors from which they derive energy and nutrients