| A | B |
|---|
| Biotic Factor | a living factor in an ecosystem |
| Abiotic Factor | a non-living factor in an ecosystem |
| Biological Community | several populations interacting in the same area |
| Biome | Ecosystems with similar CLIMATE |
| Biosphere | The Earth, the surface and atmosphere where you find living organisms |
| Commensalism | A symbiotic relationship where one party benefits and the other neither benefits or is harmed |
| Symbiosis | A VERY CLOSE relationship between two different species |
| Mutualism | A symbiotic relationship where both parties benefit |
| Parasitism | A symbiotic relationship where one party benefits and the other is harmed |
| Ecology | The study of (=ology) interactions between organisms and the environment they live in |
| Ecosystem | interactions between a community and the abiotic factors in a specific area |
| Habitat | An organism's "address," where they live |
| Niche | An organism's "job," the role they play in the environment |
| Population | Several members of the same species that are living in the same geographic area |
| Predation | To hunt other organisms for food; opposite = prey |
| Host | The organism that is harmed in a parasitic symbiotic relationship |
| Autotroph | Producer, "self feeder," makes its own food, usually by photosynthesis/ plants |
| Heterotroph | Consumer, "different-feeder," must eat other organisms for food, to get energy/ human, rabbits |
| Biomass | The total mass (grams) of living material |
| Carnivore | Organism that eats other consumers |
| Herbivore | Organism that only eat autotrophs (plants) / herb = plant |
| Producer | Autotroph, makes its own food, usually by photosynthesis |
| Detritivore | Eat dead, decaying organisms |
| Omnivore | Eats producers & consumers |
| Food Chain | A single energy pathway through an ecosystem |
| Food Web | Every possible energy pathway through an ecosystem |
| Trophic Level | Each organism in a food chain or food web |
| Biogeochemical Cycle | Chemical cycles that cycle between the earth & living organisms |
| Denitrification | The changing of usable nitrogen in the soil to atmospheric nitrogen, which cannot be used by plants & animals |
| Matter | Anything with mass |
| Nitrogen Fixation | The changing of atmospheric nitrogen (cannot be used by plants & animals) into nitrogen that can be absorbed & used by plants (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites) |
| Nutrient | A chemical substance reuired by an organism to sustain life |
| Climax Community | A mature community (usually near the end of succession) |
| Ecological Succession | Predictable changes in a community (2 types) |
| Limiting Factor | A factor that limits the size of a population (can be abiotic or biotic) |
| Primary Succession | Type of Succession; only rock left; ex., volcanic eruuption & glacial melting |
| Secondary Succession | Type of Succession; only soil left; ex., forest fire & land clearing |
| Climate | Average year round conditions of temperature & precipitation |
| Desert | Biome characterized by very little precipitation |
| Temperate Forest | Georgia's Biome characterized by heavy precipitation & deciduous trees |
| Tundra | Biome located near Northern pole; permafrost = permanently frozen soil w/ no trees |
| Weather | The day-to-day temperature & atmospheric conditions |
| Estuary | Where a freshwater source meets a salt water source |
| Carrying Capacity | The maximum # of individuals in a population that an environment can support |
| Density-Dependent Factor | Biotic factor that affects population growth |
| Density-Independent Factor | Abiotic factor that affects population growth |
| Emigration | When an individual leaves a population |
| Immigration | when an individual enters a population |
| Population Density | # of individuals divided by the area in which they live |
| Biodiversity | Diversity of life |
