Studied by 4 people
Thursday 4/27
abiotic factor
parts of an ecosystem that are not living and have never been living
biotic factors
living or once-living things that are part of an ecosystem
biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem
carrying capacity
the number of organisms that a region can support without environmental damage
change
when something becomes different over time
competition
when two or more populations use the same resource, such as the same food source
consumer population
a population that eats organisms from another population
ecologist
a scientist who studies the interactions of organisms with each other and their environment
ecosystem
all the living and nonliving things interacting in a particular area
energy
the ability to make things move or change
energy storage molecule
a molecule that organisms can use to release the energy they need to survive (ex. glucose)
environment
the surroundings or conditions in which an organism lives or operates
food chain
a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food
food web
a model that shows what eats what in an ecosystem
glucose
a molecule that organisms can use to release energy, and that is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms
indirect effect
the result of one cause leading to an effect that causes one or more other effects
limiting factor
a variable in an ecosystem that causes a noticeable change in the ecosystem
molecule
a group of atoms joined together in a particular way
organisms
living things, such as plants, animals, and bacteria
population
a group of the same type of organism living in the same area
reproduction
the process of creating offspring
resource population
a population that is eaten by organisms from another population
sample
a small part that is meant to show what the whole is like
species
a group of organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes
stability
when something stays mostly the same over time
carrying capacity
the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation
limiting factor
anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing
generation
the average interval of time between the birth of an individual and the birth of its offspring
producer
photosynthesizing organisms that make their own food
predator
an animal that naturally preys on other animals
prey
an animal that is caught and killed by other animals
primary consumer
mostly herbivores; make up the second trophic level
secondary consumer
largely made of carnivores that feed on the primary consumers or herbivores
herbivore
an animal that feeds on plants
carnivore
an animal that feeds on other animals
omnivore
an animal that eats food of both plant and animal origin
decomposer
an organism that decomposes organic material
photosynthesis
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water
Note 
Flashcard (39)