Biology Ecosystem BEND 1 Quiz

ecology

the study of the interactions among living things, and between living things and their surroundings

community

a group of different species that live in one area

ecosystem

all of the organisms as well as the climate, soil, water, rocks, and other nonliving things in an area

biome

a major regional or global community or organisms

biotic

living things such as plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals

abiotic

nonliving things such as moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, and soil

biodiversity

the assortment, or variety, of living things in an ecosystem

keystone species

a species that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem

producer

organisms that get their energy from nonliving resources (make their own food)

autotroph

another name for a producer

consumer

organisms that get their energy by eating other living or ounce-living resources, such as plants or animals

food chain

a sequence that links species by their feeding relationships

carnivore

organisms that only eat animals

detritivore

organisms that eat detritus, or dead organic matter

specialist

a consumer that primarily eats one specific organism or feeds on a very small variety or organisms

trophic level

the levels of nourishment in a food chain

herbivore

organisms that only eat plants

omnivore

organisms that eat both plants and animals

decomposer

detritivores that break down organic matter into smaller compounds

generalist

consumers that have a varying diet

food web

a model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships and flow of energy within and sometimes beyond an ecosystem

biomass

a measure of the total dry mass of organisms in an area

energy pyramid

a diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other trophic levels

heterotrophs

another name for a comsumer

chemosynthesis

the process by which an organism forms carbohydrates using chemicals, rather than light, as an energy source