Ecology Lecture Notes

Flashcards of Ecology Vocabulary

Ecology

The study of how living organisms interact with each other and with their environment.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms (biotic factors) and their nonliving environment (abiotic factors) functioning together.

Biosphere

The part of Earth where life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Habitat

The natural environment where an organism lives and grows.

Niche

The role or function of an organism in its ecosystem, including its use of resources and relationships with other organisms.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

Community

All the populations of different species that live and interact in a particular area.

Biotic Factors

Living components of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, water, and soil.

Producer (Autotroph)

An organism that can make its own food, usually through photosynthesis (e.g., plants, algae).

Consumer (Heterotroph)

An organism that cannot make its own food and must eat other organisms to gain energy.

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only other animals.

Omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organisms and recycles nutrients back into the environment (e.g., fungi, bacteria).

Trophic Level

A step in a food chain or food web that represents an organism's position in the flow of energy.

Food Chain

A linear sequence of organisms in which each organism is eaten by the next one in the chain.

Food Web

A network of interconnected food chains that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem.

Energy Pyramid

A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one trophic level to another in a food web.

Photosynthesis

The process by which producers use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose to release energy for life functions.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support over time.

Limiting Factor

An environmental factor that restricts the size of a population, such as food, water, or space.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in an ecosystem or the entire Earth.

Succession

The natural process by which ecosystems change and develop over time.

Primary Succession

Succession that begins in an area with no soil (e.g., after a volcanic eruption).

Secondary Succession

Succession that occurs in an area that previously had life but was disturbed (e.g., after a fire or flood).

Invasive Species

A non-native species that spreads rapidly and harms native species and ecosystems.

Symbiosis

A close and long-term interaction between two different species.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits (the parasite) and the other is harmed (the host).

Climate Change

Long-term changes in global temperature and weather patterns, often linked to human activities.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Natural cycles that recycle nutrients in ecosystems, such as the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles.

Biosphere

The portion of the earth where life can exist.

Biome

A group of ecosystems with similar climate and organisms.

Ecosystem

A collection of living organisms and their non-living physical environment found in a particular place.

Community

A group of different populations that live together in a particular place.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species that live in a particular area.

Individual Organism

A single living thing.