Unit 5A Vocabulary - Ecology

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abiotic factors

Back 1

an environmental factor that is not associated with the activities of living organisms

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biomass

Back 2

plant material, manure, or any other organic matter that is used as an energy source

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biosphere

Back 3

the part of Earth where life exists; includes all of the living organisms on Earth

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biotic factors

Back 4

an environmental factor that is associated with or results from the activities of living organisms

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carbon cycle

Back 5

the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back

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carnivore

Back 6

an organism that eats animals

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commensalism

Back 7

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

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community

Back 8

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

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competition

Back 9

the relationship between two species (or individuals) in which both species (or individuals) attempt to use the same limited resource such that both are negatively affected by the relationship

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consumer

Back 10

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

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decomposer

Back 11

an organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms; examples include bacteria and fungi

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detritvore

Back 12

a consumer that feeds on dead plants and animals

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ecological pyramid

Back 13

A diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter, or numbers of organisms within each trophic level in a food chain or food web

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ecology

Back 14

the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment

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ecosystem

Back 15

a community of organisms and their abiotic environment

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energy pyramid

Back 16

a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystem's food chain; each row in the pyramid represents a trophic (feeding) level in an ecosystem, and the area of a row represents the energy stored in that trophic level

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food chain

Back 17

the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms

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food web

Back 18

a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem

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habitat

Back 19

the place where an organism usually lives

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herbivore

Back 20

an organism that eats only plants

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lichen

Back 21

a mass of fungal and algal cells that grow together in a symbiotic relationship and that are usually found on rocks or trees

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mutualism

Back 22

a relationship between two species in which both species benefit

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niche

Back 23

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

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nitrogen cycle

Back 24

the cycling of nitrogen between organisms, soil, water, and the atmosphere

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nitrogen fixation

Back 25

the process by which gaseous nitrogen is converted into ammonia, a compound that organisms can use to make amino acids and other nitrogen-containing organic molecules

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omnivore

Back 26

an organism that eats both plants and animals

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parasitism

Back 27

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

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predation

Back 28

an interaction between two species in which one species, the predator, feeds on the other species, the prey

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prey

Back 29

an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

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primary consumer

Back 30

any animal that eats plants or other producers

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producer

Back 31

an organism that can make organic molecules from inorganic molecules; a photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotroph that serves as the basic food source in an ecosystem

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scavenger

Back 32

an animal that feeds on the bodies of dead animals

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secondary consumer

Back 33

second class of animals in the food chain; animals that prey on plant-eating primary consumers

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symbiosis

Back 34

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

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tertiary consumer

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an animal whose main food is secondary consumers

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transpiration

Back 36

the process by which plants release water vapor into the air through stomata; also the release of water vapor into the air by other organisms

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trophic level

Back 37

one of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid; examples include producers and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers

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water cycle

Back 38

the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans