Ecology theory

Abiotic

Non living (factors)

Adaptations

Features that help an organism to survive in its environment

Adverse external environment

Surroundings that are harmful to an organism

Autotrophic makes their own food

makes their own food

Biosphere

Parts of the earth that support life (not global ecosystem)

Biotic factor

Living (organisms influence on another organism ) (not examples)

Climatic factor

Relating to weather

Community

All the organisms living in an area

Competition

Struggle between organisms for resource in short supply

Conservation

The management of the environment (or of organisms)

Contest (competition)

One organism loses (or gets) all the resource

Decomposers

Microorganisms that return nutrients to the environment by decay

Ecology

Study if the inter-relationships of plants, animals and their environment

Ecosystem

Organisms and their interaction with the environment

Edaphic

To do with soil

Eutrophication

Excess plant growth caused by excess nutrients in the water

Food chain

One species at each trophic level

Food web

Interconnected food chains or more than one species at each trophic level

Germination

Growth of seed or embryo

Habitat

Place where a species lives (not plants or animals by themselves)

Heterotrophic

Obtains food from other organisms or does not make its own food

Mutualism

Close relationship between two species where both benefit

Niche

Role of organism in an ecosystem

Nitrification

Ammonia to nitrites (or nitrates) or nitrites to nitrates

Nitrogen fixation

Atmospheric N2 converted to compounds

Nutrient recycling

Returning elements to the environment so they can be reused

Parasitic

Living in or on another species causing harm

Percentage cover

Percentage of quadrant covered by a species

Percentage frequency

Percentage of quadrants in which a species is present

Pollution

Any harmful addition to the environment

Population

All the members of a species living in an area

Producer

Organism that makes its own food

Pyramid of numbers

Diagram that shows numbers of organisms at each trophic level

Qualitative (survey)

Types of organisms present

Quantitative

Numbers of individuals (of a species) present

Saprophytic

Living on dead organisms

Scramble competition

Each organism gets some of resource

Symbiosis

Relationship between (different) species in which at least one can benefit

Trophic level

Feeding level or energy level or position in food chain