Ecosystems and Energy Flow Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about ecosystems and the flow of energy.

Ecology

The scientific analysis and study of interactions among organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms (producers, consumers, and decomposers) linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows, along with abiotic components.

Biotic

Relating to living organisms.

Abiotic

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species that live in a particular area and interbreed.

Population density

The number of individuals that live in an area.

Carrying Capacity

The largest population of a species that the environment can support in a given period of time.

Limiting factor

Any factor that prevents a population from growing larger.

Density-dependent limiting factor

A limiting factor that only affects a population when its density reaches a certain level.

Density-independent limiting factor

A limiting factor that affects a population regardless of its size and density.

Exponential Growth

Population increase at a constant rate per unit of time, possible with infinite resources.

Logistic Growth

Population increase that slows and levels off as resources become limited.

Birth Rate

The number of individuals born in a population.

Immigration

The number of individuals that move into a population.

Mortality Rate

The number of individuals that die in a population.

Emigration

The number of individuals that leave a population.

Autotrophs

Organisms that can produce their own food, often through photosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

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

Producers

Organisms that capture energy from sunlight and convert it into chemical energy (e.g., plants).

Primary Consumers

Organisms that eat producers (herbivores).

Secondary Consumers

Organisms that eat primary consumers (carnivores and omnivores).

Tertiary Consumers

Organisms that eat secondary consumers and are rarely preyed upon (carnivores and omnivores).

Detritivores

Organisms that eat organic wastes and dead organisms.

Decomposers

Organisms that cause decay and help release energy back into the environment (e.g., fungi or bacteria).

Food Chain

Describes the path of energy flow through an ecosystem in terms of who eats whom.

Food Web

Shows the interconnected feeding relationships between a wider variety of organisms in an ecosystem.

Niche

The very specific role a species plays in its environment.

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both organisms benefit (+/+).

Predator/Prey

A relationship where one organism (predator) eats another (prey) (+/-).

Parasitism

A relationship where one organism (parasite) lives on or in another (host) and benefits at the host's expense (+/-).

Herbivory

The consumption of plants by animals (+/-).

Competition

A relationship where two or more organisms compete for the same limited resource (-/-).

Positive Feedback

A process that amplifies a change, leading to an extreme outcome (increase or decrease).

Negative Feedback

A process that opposes a change, maintaining equilibrium.

Ecological Pyramid

A graphical representation of the energy flow in an ecosystem.