BIOL. 101: ECOLOGY

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the study of Ecology, providing definitions and relationships crucial for understanding the subject.

Ecology

The study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment.

Biocoenosis

The concept of a community of organisms living together in a defined habitat.

Autecology

The study of individual species and their interactions with the environment.

Synecology

The study of groups of organisms and their relationships within biological communities.

Trophic Level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain.

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 among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components of an ecosystem that affect the environment, such as temperature, water, and soil.

Biotic Factors

Living components of an ecosystem that affect the environment, including plants and animals.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems, where life exists on Earth.

Keystone Species

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

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is not significantly harmed or helped.

Saprophyte

An organism that derives its nourishment from decaying organic matter.

Habitat

The natural environment in which an organism lives, grows, and reproduces.

Primary Producers

Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis, such as plants.

Decomposers

Organisms, like fungi and bacteria, that break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Human Ecology

The study of the interactions between humans and their environment.

Ecosystem Services

The benefits provided by ecosystems that contribute to making human life both possible and worth living.

Global Ecology

The study of interactions among Earth's environments, including land, air, and sea.