| A | B |
|---|
| biosphere | portion of the earth where all living things exist |
| ecology | part of biology that deals with the interactions of organisms and their environment |
| abiotic factors | non-living; determine the types of organisms that can survive in a particular environment; soil, water, air, light, etc. |
| biotic factors | living; all organisms and their effects on other living things |
| population | all individuals of a species that live within a certain area |
| habitat | the particular part of an environment where each type of organism lives |
| community | all the populations of different organisms within a given area |
| ecosystem | the community and its physical environment |
| niche | the role species plays |
| producers | autotrophs; make organic compounds from inorganic ones |
| consumers | heterotrophs that obtain nutrients from other organisms |
| decomposers | obtain nutrients by breaking down th remains of dead plants and animals |
| pyramid of energy | greatest amount of energy is with producers and least is with the highest level consumer |
| pyramid of biomass | mass of producers are larger than highest level consumer |
| mutualism | both organimsms benefit from the association |
| commensalism | only one of the organisms benefits but the other is not harmed |
| parasititism | one organism benefits as the other is being harmed |
| ecological succession | how organisms are slowly replaced by other organisms |
| dominant species | a species that greatly effects the other species |
| climax community | the end of succession; when a stable mature community develops |
| primary succession | occurs in an area that has no existing life, such as a rock |
| secondary succession | occurs in an area in which an existing community has been partially destroyed and its balance has been upset |
| pioneer organisms | first organisms to inhabit an area |
| human ecology | relationship between humans and the environment |
| urbanization | the changing of the pattern of land; countryside becoming a city; movement of people to cities |
| erosion | the removing by wind and rain of topsoil |
| overgrazing | destroying vegetation by cattle and sheep |
| pollution | adding anything to the environment that makes it less suitable for organisms |
| noise pollution | loud sounds that disrupts an organisms normal behavior |
| biodegradeable | ability to be broken down by bacteria |
| biological magnification | how poisons build up in organisms as you go up the food pyramid |
| thermal pollution | the heating of water |
| acid rain | precipitation mixed with sulfuric acid |
| smog | hydrocarbons mixed with nitrogen oxide; brown dirty haze |
| natural resources | materials found in the environment used by humans |
| renewable resources | air, water, and soil |
| nonrenewable resources | coal, oil, natural gas, metals, and minerals |
| recycling | products made from nonrenewable resources can be used again |
| dams | slow running water to stop erosion |
| crop rotation | growing of different crops in succeeding years to prevent the depletion of nutrients |
| reforestation | "for every tree cut down, a seedling must be planted." |
| wildlife conservation | hunting and fishing laws, use of hatcheries, set up of game and bird reserves, and legal protection of endangered species |
| biodiversity | all of the different organisms within a given location |
| global warming | the gradual heating of the earth from CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels |
| predation | relationship in which one organism hunts another for food |
