Ecosystems

Front 1

Community

Back 1

A group of various species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other.

Front 2

Ecosystem

Back 2

A community of organisms and their abiotic environment.

Front 3

Habitat

Back 3

A place where an organism usually lives

Front 4

Biodiversity

Back 4

The variety of organisms in a given area,the genetic variation within a population,the variety of species in a community or the variety of communities in a ecosystem.

Front 5

Succession

Back 5

The replacement of one type of community by another at a single location over a period of time.

Front 6

Climate

Back 6

The average weather conditions in a area over a long period of time.

Front 7

Biome

Back 7

A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities.

Front 8

Producer

Back 8

A photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotroph that serves as the basic food source in an ecosystem.

Front 9

Consumer

Back 9

An organism that eats other organisms organic matter instead of producing its own nutrients or obtaining nutrients from inorganic sources.

Front 10

Decomposer

Back 10

An organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms.

Front 11

Trophic level

Back 11

One of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid.

Front 12

Energy Pyramid

Back 12

A triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy,which results as energy passes through the ecosystem's food chain.

Front 13

Population

Back 13

A group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area and interbreed.

Front 14

Carrying Capacity

Back 14

The largest population that an environment can support at any given time.

Front 15

Predation

Back 15

An interaction between two organisms in which one organism,the predator,kills and feeds on the other organism,the prey.

Front 16

Coevolution

Back 16

The evolution of two or more species that is due to mutual influence.

Front 17

Parasitism

Back 17

A relationship between two species,in which one species,the parasite,benefits from the other species,the host,which is harmed.

Front 18

Symbiosis

Back 18

A relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other.

Front 19

mutualism

Back 19

A relationship in which both of the species benefit from each other.

Front 20

Commensalism

Back 20

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.

Front 21

Niche

Back 21

The unique position occupied by a species,both in terms of its physical use of its habitat and its function within an ecological community.

Front 22

Fundamental Niche

Back 22

The largest ecological niche where an organism or species can live without competition.

Front 23

Realized Niche

Back 23

The range of resources that a species uses,the conditions that the species can tolerate,and the functional roles that the species plays as a result of competition in the species' fundamental niche.

Front 24

Competitive Exclusion

Back 24

The exclusion of one species by another due to competition.

Front 25

Keystone Species

Back 25

A species that is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem in which it live because it affects the survival and abundance of many species in it's community.