Unit 3 Interactions in Marine Ecosystem - Symbiosis through Food Webs

Competition

A relationship between two organisms where both species are negatively affected as they try to use the same resources.

Interspecific Competition

Competition that occurs between different species.

Intraspecific Competition

Competition that occurs within the same species.

Symbiosis

A relationship between two or more organisms of different species living physically close to each other.

Parasitism

A type of symbiosis where the symbiont benefits while the host is harmed.

Commensalism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot make their own food and must consume other organisms.

Autotrophs

Organisms that can capture energy from light or chemicals to produce carbohydrates.

Photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs use light to produce carbohydrates.

Chemosynthesis

The process by which certain organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates, typically near hydrothermal vents.

Primary Consumers

Organisms that feed directly on producers.

Secondary Consumers

Organisms that feed on primary consumers.

Tertiary Consumers

Organisms that feed on secondary consumers.

Quaternary Consumers

Organisms that feed on tertiary consumers.

Predation

The feeding relationship between a predator and its prey.

Apex Predator

An organism at the end of a food chain that has no natural predators.

Food Chain

A linear representation of feeding relationships between organisms.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

Trophic Level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain.