| A | B |
|---|
| ecology | scientific study of interactions/interrelationships betwen organisms and their environment |
| quantitative research | experiments that result in counts or measurements |
| descriptive researth | research that results in written descriptions of observable data |
| biosphere | portion of the Earth that supports life |
| biotic factors | all the living organisms in the environment |
| abiotic factors | all the nonliving or physical factors in the environment |
| adaptation | any inherited feature that enhances survival or reproduction |
| structural adaptation | physical "part" ie: hummingbird's beak |
| behavioral adaptation | unconscious action (reflex or instinct) |
| internal chemical process | chemical rection/process that inhances survival |
| subatomic particles | components of the atom (protons, neutron, and electrons) |
| atom | smallest particle of matter |
| elements | 92 naturally occuring atoms |
| molecules or compounds | atoms that are chemically bonded together |
| organelles | "tiny organs"; building units of cells |
| cells | smallest unit of life |
| tissue | integrated group of cells with a common structure and function |
| organ | group of specialized tissues performing a specific function |
| organ system | group of integrated organs performing a specific function |
| organism | a living thing |
| population | group of organisms of one species living in the same place and time that interbreed |
| community | collection of interaction pupulations of the same area |
| ecosystem | community and the abiotic factors and all their interactions |
| biosphere | all the ecosystems worldwide |
| niche | role an organism plays in a community |
| habitat | place where an organism lives |
| homeostasis | balance between species within populations, communities, and ecosystems |
| trophic | food |
| autotroph | "self-feeder"; producer |
| heterotroph | "other-feeder"; consumer |
| herbivore | animals that feed directly on autotrophs |
| carnivore | aimals that kill and eat other animals |
| scavenger | animals that feed on dead animals or animal wastes |
| decomposers | saprophytes; nongreen, plant-like organism that consumes dead organisms or waste |
| symbiosis | "living together"; close permanent relationship betweem organisms of different species |
| commensalism | symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected |
| mutualism | sybiotic relationship where both species benefit |
| parasitism | symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed |
| host | species that is harmed |
| food chain | diagram that shows the flow of food through a series of organsims in an ecosystem; shows one possible route |
| food web | diagrom that shows all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level in an ecosystem |
| biogeochemical cycles | cycling of matter between all biotic and abiotic compoents in an ecosystem |
