Eoc Terms - Ecology

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Biosphere

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Part of Earth in which life exists.

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Species

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Group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

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Population

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Group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area.

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Community

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Groups of different populations that live together in the same area.

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Ecosystem

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All of the organisms ithat live in a particular place, together with teir nonliving environment.

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Biome

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Group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities.

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Autotroph/Producer

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Organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food.

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Heterotroph/Consumer

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Organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply.

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Herbivore

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Organism that obtains energy by eating only plants.

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Carnivore

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Organism that obtains energy by eating animals.

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Omnivore

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Organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals.

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Detritivore

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Organism that feeds on plants and animal remains and other dead matter.

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Decomposer

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Organism that breaks down an dobtains energy from dead organic matter.

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Biotic Factors

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Living things that influence organisms within an ecosystem.

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Abiotic Factors

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Nonliving factors that shape an ecosystem.

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Predation

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Interaction in which one organisms captures and feeds on another organism.

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Symbiosis

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Relationship in which two species live closely together.

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Mutualism

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Symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship.

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Commensalism

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Symbiotic relationhip in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

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Parasitism

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Symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (host) and harms it.

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Carrying Capacity

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Largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment can support.

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Limiting factor

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A factor that causes the growth of a population to decrease.

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Biodiversity

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Describes the variety of organisms in the biosphere.

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Independent Variable

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Factor in an experiment that a scientist purposely changes/manipulates.

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Dependent Variable

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Also known as the responding variable, this is a factor in an experiment that a scientist wants to observe, which may change because of the manipulated variable.