Ecology

Species & Ecosystems, Energy Flow, Carbon Cycling, Climate Change

Ecology

the study of relationships between living organisms and their environment

Ecosystem

a community of organisms and their abiotic (non-living) environment

Community

a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other

Habitat

a type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives

Species

a group of organisms that can produce fertile offspring

Population

a group of organisms of different species who live in the same area at the same time

Food Chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Food Web

A complex arrangement of interrelated food chains illustrating the flow of energy between interdependent organisms

Trophic Level

the feeding level in a food web defined by the number of energy transfers away from the original source of energy

Consumer

an organism that ingests other organic matter that is living or recently killed

Autotroph

producer, an organism that synthesises its organic molecules from the abiotic environment, e.g. plants

Saprotroph

an organism that lives on or in non-living matter, creating digestive enzymes to absorb nutrients, e.g. bacteria, fungi

Heterotroph

an organism that obtains organic molecules from other organisms, e.g. consumers

Detritivore

an organism that ingests non-living organic matter, e.g. mosquitos, cockroaches, termites, crabs

Organic Material

anything that was alive and is now in or on soil, usually carbon-based compounds

Photosynthesis

the process by which plants create their own nutrients through sunlight, CO2 + Water = Oxygen + Glucose

Respiration

converting glucose and oxygen to CO2 and water

Decomposition

the process by which bacteria and fungi break dead organisms into their simple compounds. Plants can absorb and use these compounds again, completing the cycle

Diffusion

the process by which a substance moves from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration

Combustion

a chemical reaction which involves oxygen reacting with substances to form oxides and give off heat, CO2 and water are always products

Fossilization

the processes of material becoming fossils

Feeding

the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food

Oceanic Food Webs

Ocean animals passing carbon through food webs

Phytoplankton

Very tiny marine algae (can only be seen using a microscope,) contain chlorophyll and require sunlight to grow, usually floating on the surface of the ocean

Hybrid

Offspring from two different species (e.g. horse + donkey = mule, lion + tiger = liger)