Untitled Flashcards Set

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit (+/+). Example: Bees pollinating flowers.

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected (+/0). Example: Birds riding on cattle for bugs.

Parasitism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits at the expense of the other (+/–). Example: Fleas on dogs.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms and their physical environment interacting as a system.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems; the zone of life on Earth.

Producers

Organisms that produce their own food, typically through photosynthesis. Examples include plants and algae.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead components of the ecosystem, returning nutrients to the soil. Examples include fungi and bacteria.

Trophic levels

The levels of a food chain, representing the flow of energy through an ecosystem.

Keystone species

A species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem, often disproportionately to its abundance.

Biodiversity

The variety of different species within an ecosystem; higher biodiversity often leads to greater ecosystem health.

Food Chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem, showing how multiple food chains are interconnected.

Nitrogen Cycle

The process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms, involving nitrogen-fixing bacteria, plants, and decomposers.

Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water through the environment, involving processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Carbon Cycle

The process by which carbon is exchanged between the atmosphere, land, water, and living things, including photosynthesis and respiration.