Ecosystems and Ecology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining fundamental ecological concepts, biome characteristics, species interactions, and energy flow within ecosystems based on the lecture transcript.

Ecosystem

All the living and nonliving things interacting in an area.

Biotic

The living parts of an ecosystem.

Abiotic

The nonliving parts of an ecosystem, like water and rock.

Habitat

The place where an organism lives.

Niche

The role an organism plays in its ecosystem.

Population

All the organisms of the same species in one area.

Community

All the different populations living together in an area.

Biosphere

All the ecosystems on Earth combined.

Producer

An organism that makes its own food using sunlight.

Consumer

An organism that eats other organisms for energy.

Herbivore

An organism that eats only plants.

Carnivore

An organism that eats only meat.

Omnivore

An organism that eats both plants and animals.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead matter for energy.

Food chain

The path of energy transfer from producer to consumer.

Food web

Overlapping food chains in an ecosystem.

Energy pyramid

A diagram showing energy decrease at each feeding level.

Producers

The first level of an energy pyramid.

Prey

An animal hunted by another animal for food.

Predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food.

Mutualism

A relationship where both organisms benefit.

Parasitism

A relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.

Commensalism

A relationship where one benefits and the other is unaffected.

Competition

Organisms competing for the same resource.

Biome

A large area with a distinct climate, plants, and animals.

Desert

A land biome with little rainfall.

Rainforest

A biome with year-round rainfall and dense trees.

Tundra

A treeless biome with frozen subsoil.

Succession

The gradual change in an ecosystem over time.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in an ecosystem.