| A | B |
|---|
| ecology | study of how living organisms interact with each other & their environment |
| abiotic | nonliving factors in an ecosystem such as sunlight, soil, water, etc |
| habitat | characterized by temperature & rainfall |
| sunlight | ultimate source of all energy for ecosystems |
| producers | autotrophs that capture energy & bring it into an ecosystem |
| decomposers | organisms that break down dead organisms & wastes to release inorganic molecules back into the ecosystem |
| food chain | single pathway showing energy flow through an ecosystem |
| food web | multiple pathway showing energy flow through an ecosystem |
| niche | an organism's job in an ecosystem |
| herbivore | primary consumer that eats producers |
| scavenger | decomposer that consumes the soft tissue of dead animals |
| ecosystem | includes all biotic & abiotic parts of the ecosystem |
| biomass & energy | greater at lower levels of an ecological pyramid |
| biotic | living parts or factors in an ecosystem like trees, bacteria, worms, etc |
| carnivores | consumers that eat meat |
| omnivores | consumers that eat both producers & consumers |
| detritivores | decomposers that consume dead leaves, feces, organic debris, etc |
| trophic level | describes an organism's feeding position in a food web |
