Accel Biology Ecology Terms - Mr Null. 2025 9th Grade

Abiotic

Non-living things

Biodiversity

The amount of biological or living diversity per unit area. It includes the concepts of species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity.

Biotic

living

Carrying Capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Climax Community

a stable community that no longer goes through major ecological changes

Commensalism

one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Exponential Growth

growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size.

Habitat

Place where an organism lives

Invasive Species

plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native

K-Strategists

A species that produces relatively few young but invests considerable resources into their support

Limiting Factor

An environmental factor that prevents a population from increasing

Logistic growth

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Niche

An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Pioneer species

First species to populate an area during primary or secondary succession.

R-Strategists

A species that produces large numbers of offspring but provides few resources for their support.

Ammonification

the formation of ammonia compounds in the soil by the action of bacteria on decaying matter from nitrogen.

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food

Biomass

the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Canivores

Consumers that eat only animals

Cellular Respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen

Combustion

the process of burning something

Community

All the different populations that live together in an area

Condensation

Gas to liquid

Consumers

An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms

Decomposition

A chemical reaction that breaks down compounds into simpler products.

Denitrification

Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their abiotic environment

Evaporation

Liquid to gas

Herbivores

Consumers that eat only plants

Nitrification

ammonia is converted to nitrate ions (NO3-) by bacteria.

nitrogen fixation

Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia

Omnivores

eat both plants and animals

Organism

A living thing

Photosynthesis

Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Precipitation

rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground.

Predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food

Primary Consumers

Animals that feed from only producers

Producers

Organisms that make their own food

Quaternary Consumers

Organisms that feed from the third trophic level.

Runoff

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

Secondary Consumers

Organisms that feed off of primary consumers

Sedimentation

the process in which soil particles and decaying organic matter accumulate in layers on the ground or at the bottom of large bodies of water, contributing to the formation of sedimentary rock

Tertiary consumers

organisms that feed on secondary consumers

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Trophic level

The step in a food chain or food web.