ecology and levels of organization

Organism

One individual living thing

Species

A group of organisms that can reproduce with one another and produce fertile offspring

Population

All members of the same species living in the same area at the same time

Ecology

The study of how living organisms interact with one another and with their environment.

Community

All the different populations, living and interacting in the same area

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with nonliving parts of their environment

Biome

A large geographic region with a particular climate and characteristic plants and animals

Biosphere

All regions of earth where life exists the largest level of ecological organization

Habitat

The physical place where an organism normally lives

Ecological niche

The role of an organism in its ecosystem, including how it uses resources and interacts with other organisms

Biotic factor

A living or once living part of an ecosystem such as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, predators, or competitors

Abiotic factor

A nonliving, environmental factor such as temperature, sunlight, water, soil, oxygen salinity, or pH

Energy flow

The movement of energy through an ecosystem from one organism to another

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants and other Photosynthetic organisms he’s light energy to make glucose from carbon dioxide and water

Chemosynthesis

The production of food using energy release from inorganic chemical reactions rather than sunlight

Autotroph

An organism that makes them organic food from inorganic substances

Producer

An autotroph that forms the first tropic level of an ecosystem

Heterotroph

An organism that obtained energy by consuming other organisms or organic matter

Consumer

An organism obtained energy by eating other organisms

Herbivore

A consumer that primarily eats plants or algae

Carnivore

A consumer that primarily eats animals

Omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals

Decomposer

An organism such as fungus or bacterium that breaks down dead organisms and wastes, and returns nutrients to the environment

trophic level

A feeding position with a food chain or food

Primary consumer

An organism to eat producers usually a herbivore

Secondary consumer

An organism that eats primary consumers

tertiary consumer

Consumer that secondary consumers

quaternary consumer

Summer and a very high trophic level Often a top predator

Food chain

A simple pathway showing how energy passes from one organism to another

Energy pyramid

A diagram showing the amount of energy available at each trophic level

biomass

The total mass of living biological material in a particular area or trophic area

Energy loss

Energy that becomes unavailable to the next trophic level mainly because organisms use energy for metabolism movement for maintenance and heat production

Climate

The long-term average weather conditions of an area, especially temperature and precipitation

Vegetation

The plant I found in a particular region

Physical geography

The natural physical features of an area such as mountain soil, lakes, rivers, and landforms

Terrestrial biome

A major land base ecosystem

aquatic biome

A major water-based ecosystem

Tundra

A cold treeless terrestrial biome with a short, growing season and permanently, frozen subsoil in many areas

Permafrost

Oil or ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years

Boreal forest/taiga

A large northern forest biome dominated mainly by Coniferous trees, such as spruce

Temperate deciduous forest

A forest biome dominated by trees that lose their leaves seasonally

Prairie grassland

A terrestrial biome dominated by grasses and generally having relatively low precipitation

Marine biome

Saltwater ecosystems such as oceans and seas

Freshwater biome

Aquatic ecosystem with very low salt, concentrations, including lake, ponds, rivers, and streams

Estuary

An area where freshwater from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean

Ecotone

A transition zone between two ecosystems or biomes

Range of tolerance

The range of environmental conditions within which an organism can survive and reproduce

Optimum range

The environmental conditions under which an organism performs best

Zone of psychological stress

Conditions in which an organism can survive, but has it difficulty growing or reproducing

Limiting factor

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the size distribution or growth of a population

Species distribution

The geographic area of or pattern in which members of species are found