Ecosystems | CK-12 Foundation

Ecology

The study of how living things interact with one another and with their physical environment.

Organisms

Individual living entities that require energy and matter from their environment to survive.

Abiotic factors

Nonliving components of the environment such as sunlight, soil, temperature, and water.

Biotic factors

Living components of the environment, including other organisms from the same and different species.

Ecosystem

A unit of nature consisting of all the biotic and abiotic factors within a specific area and their interactions.

Producers

Organisms, generally plants, that convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms.

Herbivores

Consumers that primarily eat plants.

Carnivores

Consumers that primarily eat other animals.

Niche

The specific role a species plays within its ecosystem, including interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.

Habitat

The physical environment to which a species is adapted and in which it lives.

Competitive exclusion principle

The principle stating that two different species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place for an extended period.

Character displacement

Adaptations that occur in species to lessen competition and allow for coexistence.

Nectarivore

A type of bird that has a long, slender beak designed to sip liquid nectar from flowers.

Granivore

A type of bird that has a short, sturdy beak capable of crushing hard, tough grains.

Matter Recycling

The process in which matter is repeatedly used within ecosystems, as opposed to energy which requires continuous inputs.

Photosynthesis

The process by which producers convert solar energy into chemical energy.

Natural cycles

Processes through which elements like carbon and nitrogen are recycled in the environment.