Unit 5: How do Species Interact Study Guide

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to species interactions, energy flow, and ecological concepts from the Unit 5 study guide.

Autotroph

An organism that produces its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Heterotroph

An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms.

Producer

An organism, typically a plant, that produces energy for an ecosystem.

Consumer

An organism that consumes other organisms for energy.

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants.

Omnivore

A consumer that eats both plants and animals.

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only other animals.

Detritivore

An organism that feeds on dead organic material, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

Scavenger

An animal that feeds on dead or decaying organic matter.

Predator

An organism that hunts and consumes other organisms.

Decomposer

An organism, such as bacteria or fungi, that breaks down dead organic matter.

Trophic level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain.

Food web

A complex network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

Food chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass.

Energy pyramid

A graphical representation of energy flow in an ecosystem, showing the energy available at each trophic level.

10% rule

The principle that only about 10% of the energy is passed from one trophic level to the next.

Nutrient cycle

The movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter.

Algae bloom

A rapid increase in the population of algae in water bodies, often caused by excess nutrients.

Dead zone

An area in a body of water where oxygen levels are so low that marine life cannot survive.

Keystone species

A species that has a disproportionately large impact on its environment relative to its abundance.

Predation

An interaction in which one organism hunts and eats another organism.

Competition

An interaction between organisms competing for the same resources in an ecosystem.

Symbiosis

A close interaction between two different organisms where at least one benefits.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit.

Commensalism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of individuals an environment can sustainably support.

Population density

The number of individuals per unit area.

Survivorship curve

A graph that represents the number or proportion of individuals surviving at each age for a given species.

Logistic growth

Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.

Exponential growth

Rapid population increase under ideal conditions with no limiting factors.