| A | B |
|---|
| Abiotic | Non-living parts of an ecosystem |
| Biotic | Living parts of an ecosystem |
| Food chain | Pathway which energy follows from producer to consumer |
| Producer | Organism that is capable of making its own food |
| Consumer | Organism that relies on producers as a food source |
| Predator | One that captures, kills, and consumes another |
| Prey | One that us captured, killed and consumed by another |
| Biotic potential | Ability of an ecosystem to maintain life |
| Carrying capacity | Number of individuals of a species that an ecosystem can support |
| Succession | Sequential replacement of populations in an ecosystem |
| Biome | Geographic area with characteristic plants, animals,& climate |
| Ecosystem | All the biotic and abiotic parts of an environment |
| Ecology | Study of organisms and their environment |
| Biosphere | Area on and around earth where life exists |
| Community | All the populations in an area |
| Population | All the members of a species in an area |
| Species | Group of organisms capable of producing fertile offspring in the natural environment |
| Habitat | Physical area where an organism lives |
| Niche | The way of life of a species, the role the species plays in its ecosystem |
| Climate | The amount of rain fall and temperature in an area |
| Immigration | Movement of individuals into a population |
| Emigration | Movement of individuals out of a population |
| Herbivore | Animals that obtain energy from only plants |
| Carnivore | Animals that obtain energy only from other animals |
| Omnivore | Animals that obtain energy from both plants and animals |
| diversity | a variety of organisms |
| succession | predictable replacement of populations in an ecosystem |
| autotroph | another name for a plant or producer |
| heterotroph | another name for an animal or consumer |
| decomposer (saprotrophs) | organism that gets nutrients from dead organisms AND recycle nutrients back into ecosystem |
| scavenger | organism that gets nutrients from dead animals (carrion) such as a vulture |
| niche | role of an organism in an ecosystem |
| mutualism | both organisms benefit from their association |
| commensalism | one organism benefits, the other is not affected |
| parasitism | one organism benefits, the other is harmed |
| ecosystem | all of the organisms and the non-living environment found in a place |
| pyramid of biomass | organic material in an ecosystem |
| pyramid of energy | amount of energy that can be transferred to the next level |
| competition | two or more organisms want (and fight for) the same resource (like water) |
| abiotic factor | non living parts of the ecosystem |
| community | all biotic factors in a given area |
| population | number of specific species in a given area |
| biotic factor | all living organisms in an ecosystem |
| biosphere | area of earth where biotic factors are found |
| carrying capacity | number of individuals of a species the ecosystem can support |
| population density | number of a species in a specific area |
| producer | another term for autotroph |
| host | organism that is harmed in a parasitic relationship |
| symbiosis | close, long term relationship between two different types of organisms |
| Food chain | Pathway which energy follows from producer to consumer |
| Producer | Organism that is capable of making energy |
| Consumer | Organism that relies on producers as an energy source |
| Predator | One that captures, kills, and consumes another |
| Prey | One that is captured, killed and consumed by another |
| Carrying capacity | Number of individuals of a species that an ecosystem can support |
| Ecosystem | All the biotic and abiotic parts of an environment |
| Ecology | Study of organisms and their environment |
| Biosphere | Area on and around earth where life exists |
| Community | All the populations in an area |
| Population | All the members of a species in an area |
| Species | Group of organisms capable of producing fertile offspring in the natural environment |
| Habitat | Physical area where an organism lives |
| Niche | The way of life of a species, the role the species plays in its ecosystem |
| Climate | The amount of rain fall and temperature in an area |
| diversity | a variety of organisms |
| mutualism | symbiotic relationship --both organisms benefit from their association |
| commensalism | symbiotic relationship --one organism benefits, the other is not affected |
| parasitism | symbiotic relationship --one organism benefits, the other is harmed |
| ecosystem | all of the organisms and the non-living environment found in a place |
| abiotic factor | non living parts of the ecosystem |
| biotic factor | all living organisms in an ecosystem |
| population density | number of a species in a specific area |
| host | organism that is harmed in a parasitic relationship |
| primary consumer | also known as herbivore |
| secondary consumer | also known as carnivore |
| habitat | organism's "address" |
| photosynthesis/respiration cycle aka: carbon cycle | Plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars, releasing oxygen which animal cells use to break down food molecules to produce energy, releasing carbon dioxide |
| nitrogen cycle | he transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere using bacteria and lightning |
| hydrologic cycle | also known as the water cycle is the processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. |
| transpiration | release of excess water from plants |
| condensation | water vapor in the atmosphere is cooled to form clouds made up of water droplets |
| detritivore | different from decomposer in that these organisms feed on "waste" (dead plants, animal waste, and/or animal carcasses |
| limiting factor | any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment. |
