Ecology Flashcards

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ecology

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the study of interactions between organisms and their environment

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Biosphere

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the portion of the earth that inhabits life

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abiotic

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nonliving factors

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biotic

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living organisms

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species

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a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring

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population

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groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

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community

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assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area

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ecosystem

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a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place together with their nonliving or physical environment

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biome

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a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities

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producer

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organisms that turn inorganic substances into organic substances

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autotrophs

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an organism that makes its own food

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consumers

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organisms that gain energy by eating other organisms

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heterotrophs

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an organism that must obtain its food from its environment

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herbivores

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obtain energy by eating plants only

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carnivores

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eat animals

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omnivores

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eat both plants and animals

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detrivores

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feed on dead and decaying matter

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decomposers

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break down organic matter

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Plankton and Zooplankton

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eat microscopic organisms and then in turn they are eaten by small and large fish

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niche

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roll an organism plays in their environment

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habitat

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home or organism

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food chain

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a simple model that scientists use to show how energy flows through an ecosystem

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competition

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when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time

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predation

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when one organism captures and feeds on another organism

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symbiosis

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when two species live closely together

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mutualism

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both species benefit

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commensalism

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only one species benefits and the other is not harmed or affected

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parasitism

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one organism benefits and others are harmed

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food web

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web that links all of the food chains in an ecosystem

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trophic level

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each level in a food chain where the organism feeds

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levels in a food chain

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producer
primary consumers
secondary consumers

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ecological pyramids

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diagram that shows the amounts of energy in each trophic level in a food chain or food web

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biomass

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total amount of living matter withing a trophic level

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Biome

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a large area that is characterized by the land or water, the climate, types of plants, and the types of animals

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terrestrial biomes

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land biomes

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tropical rain forest

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most diversity in animal life than any other biome

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top-canopy

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very big broad leaves from the trees up to ten meters in height

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middle-understory

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made up of shorter trees

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bottom-forrest floor

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made up of vines and plants

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savannah

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grass and isolated trees
large herbivores: elephants, giraffe, and zebra

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desert

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made up of succulents and cacti
bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and lizards

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temperate grasslands

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no trees
smaller animals

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temperate forest

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deciduous and coniferous trees
deer, rabbits, squirrel, raccoons, skunk

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taiga

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coniferous trees
largest animals-moose, lynx, and beavers

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tundra

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consists of no trees and very short mosses and liverworts

caribou, foxes, and owls

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aquatic biomes

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water biomes

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flowing water ecosystems

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rivers and streams

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estuary

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fresh water meets the salt water

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standing water ecosystems

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lakes and ponds

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wetlands

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body of water that dries up for part of the year

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marine biomes

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salt water

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intertidal zone

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where the water meets the land

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coastal ocean

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water on the continental shelf and ends where the land slopes off

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open ocean

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the deep waters of the ocean

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ecological succession

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the maturing process of establishing or re-estblishing an ecosystem

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primary succession

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occurs on sites that have not been previously occupied

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secondary succession

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occurs when a biotic community has been disturbed and then becomes re-established