Untitled Flashcard Set

Abiotic

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

Autotroph

Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Biogeochemical cycle

The cycling of chemical elements and compounds through biological, geological, and chemical processes.

Biotic

Living components of the environment that influence ecological processes.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems, the zone of life on Earth.

Biome

Large geographic biotic units, often defined by climate and dominant vegetation.

Carnivore

An organism that primarily eats meat.

Climate

The long-term atmospheric conditions in a particular area.

Commensalism

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

Community

A group of interdependent organisms of different species inhabiting the same region.

Consumer (primary, secondary)

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms; primary consumers eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers.

Decomposer

Organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Denitrification

The reduction of nitrates in the soil to nitrogen gas, releasing it back into the atmosphere.

Detritivore

Organisms that feed on dead organic material and help in decomposition.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size that an environment can sustainably support.

Competition (intra, inter)

The struggle for resources between individuals of the same species (intraspecific) or different species (interspecific).

Competitive Exclusion

The principle stating that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist at constant population values.

Ecology

The branch of biology that studies the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Ecosystem Engineers

Species that create, modify, or maintain habitats for themselves and other organisms.

Ecological Pyramid

A graphical representation showing the flow of energy or biomass at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Emigration

The act of leaving one's resident population to live in another.

Exponential growth

Growth that occurs when resources are unlimited, resulting in a rapid increase in population size.

Food Chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in the planet's lower atmosphere due to greenhouse gases.

Habitat

The natural home or environment of an organism.

Heterotroph

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and rely on other sources of organic carbon.

Herbivore

An organism that primarily eats plants.

Immigration

The movement of individuals into a population from other areas.

Invasive species

Non-native species that spread widely in a new habitat, often causing harm to native species.

Keystone Species

A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend; if removed, it would significantly alter the ecosystem.

Limiting Nutrients

Essential nutrients that limit the growth of organisms when in short supply.

Limiting factor (density dependent/independent)

Factors that limit population growth either based on population density (dependent) or independent of population density (independent).

Logistic growth

Population growth that levels off as population size approaches the carrying capacity.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.

Niche

The role or function of an organism or species within an ecosystem.

Nitrogen fixation

The process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia, which is usable by plants.

Nutrient

A substance that provides nourishment essential for the growth and maintenance of life.

Omnivore

An organism that eats both plants and animals.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

Population density

The number of individuals per unit area.

Predation

The preying of one animal on others.

Primary Producer

Organisms that produce organic compounds from atmospheric or aquatic carbon dioxide, mainly through photosynthesis.

Resource

A substance or object in the environment that is required by an organism for normal growth, maintenance, and reproduction.

Scavenger

An animal that feeds on dead organic material.

Species

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes.

Symbiosis

A mutually beneficial relationship between different organisms.

Tolerance

The ability of an organism to endure unfavorable environmental conditions.

Trophic Level

Each step in a food chain or food web, defined by how energy is obtained.

Weather

The short-term atmospheric conditions in a particular area.