| A | B |
|---|
| abiotic factor | physical environmental factor that influences the composition and growth of an ecosystem |
| algal bloom | explosive population increase in algae |
| biomass | total dried weight of all organic matter at different trophic levels |
| biotic factor | interspecies and intraspecies relationships of organisms living within a community |
| carnivore | meat-eater |
| commensalism | relationship in which only one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected |
| ecosystem | relationship of a community of organisms interacting with its environment |
| estivation | period of summer dormancy |
| first-order consumer | consumer that feeds directly on a producer |
| food web | all feeding relationships of organisms in an ecosystem |
| herbivore | plant-eating animal |
| humus | decayed remains of organisms that contain organic material |
| niche | the unique place, in an ecosystem, occupied by an organism in relationship to all the biotic and abiotic factors |
| omnivore | organism that eats both plants and animals |
| pyramid of biomass | diagram that shows how much living matter can be supported by an ecosystem |
| pyramid of energy | diagram of the transfer of energy in a food chain that shows the energy levels within an ecosystem |
| pyramid of numbers | diagram of energy loss in a food chain that shows how many organisms an ecosystem can support |
| second-order consumer | carnivorous consumer that feeds on herbivores |
| third-order consumer | carnivorous consumer that feeds directly on omnivores |
| trophic level | an organism's position in a food chain |
