Ecology Terminology Quiz

5/2/23

producer

producer

food manufacturers (ex. trees)

consumer

organisms that consume producers

decomposer

causes decay and releases nutrients back into the environment (ex. bacteria)

autotroph

a producer

heterotroph

a consumer

herbivore

an animal that feeds on plants

carnivore

an animal that feeds on flesh

omnivore

an animal that feeds on flesh or plants

biotic factors

living factors that can affect an ecosystem (ex. plants/animals)

abiotic factors

nonliving factors that can affect an ecosystem (ex. soil, pollution, natural disasters, etc.)

succession

a regular progression of species of replacement over time

primary succession

succession that occurs where no soil previously existed (ex. volcanic eruptions)

secondary succession

succession that occurs in areas where soil exists, but has been damaged or disturbed (example: life after a forest fire)

natural selection

Organisms that are more adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on the genes that aided their success

competition

relationship between organisms in which one is harmed when both are trying to use the same resource

food web

multiple connected food chains showing the complex interactions within an ecosystem

ecological pyramid

graphical representation of the relationship between the different living organisms at different trophic levels

levels of organization in order

individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere

individual

one organism and is also one type of organism

population

a group of individuals of the same species living and interbreeding within a given area

community

group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time

ecosystem

geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life

biome

biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate

biosphere

global ecosystem composed of living organisms (biota) and the abiotic (nonliving) factors from which they derive energy and nutrients