Ecology

Question	Answer
Ecology	The study of how organisms interact with their environment and other organisms.
Population	Group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
Community	All the organisms that live and interact with each other in a certain area.
Ecosystem	Community of organisms interacting with each other and with non-living factors in their environment.
Terrestrial	Of, on, or relating to the earth.
Aquatic	Of, in, or relating to water.
Succession	Changes over time due to forest fires, hurricanes, and floods.
Biotic	Living things, like plants and animals. Something that was once alive and has since died is still in this category.
Abiotic	Non-living things, such as nutrients, water, light, temperature, soil, and salinity.
Photosynthesis	The process in which green plants use water, sun, air, and soil to create energy. Converts light energy into chemical energy.
Cellular Respiration	Converts one form of energy into another, occurs in the cells of organisms.
Energy Flow	It is one way, meaning it will not return to the sun. 90% of energy is used in daily activities such as digestion, respiration, and movement, leaving 10% to be passed on.
Nutrient Cycle	When an organism dies, its nutrients will return back to the ecosystem. Examples include carbon, nitrogen, and water.
Producer	An organism that makes its own food, also known as an autotroph.
Consumer	An organism that must eat to gain the energy it need to survive, also known as a heterotroph.
Primary Consumer	The first consumer in a food chain.
Secondary Consumer	The second consumer in a food chain.
Tertiary Consumer	The third and (usually) final consumer in a food chain.
Top Carnivore	The final carnivore in a food chain.
Trophic Levels	Also referred to as 'feeding levels' are the levels of organisms on a food chain.
Herbivore	They only eat plant matter. These are always primary consumers in a food chain.
Omnivore	They eat both plant and animal matter.
Carnivore	They only eat animal matter.
Scavenger	They eat large dead animals. Examples include vultures and crows.
Decomposer	They get their energy from consuming dead plant and animal matter. These can be found on any trophic level.
Detritivore	They eat small dead animals and plants. Examples include crabs and earthworms.
Saprobes	They live on or in non-living organic matter. They secrete digestive enzymes and absorb products of digestion. Examples include bacteria and fungi.
Food Chain	The flow of energy from one organism to another in a simple line of who eats who.
Food Web	It shows all the different organisms in an ecosystem and how they're connected through who eats who.
Pyramid of Numbers	The concept that numbers of organisms generally decrease as you progress to the top of a food chain. There are exceptions to the pyramid of numbers.
Pyramid of Biomass	The concept that the mass of organisms generally decrease as you progress to the top of a food chain. There are excepts to this pattern.
Pyramid of Energy	The concept that the energy available to organisms at each trophic level always decreases as you progress to the top of a food chain. There are zero exceptions to this rule. The energy always decreases by 90% at each trophic level.
Productivity	The average amount of new plant biomass produced every year per unit area. Abiotic factors such as sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and temperature affect this.
Productive Ecosystems	Estuaries, Swamps and Marshes, Tropical Rainforests, and Temperate Forests are the most productive ecosystems. The least productive ecosystems include the Open Ocean, Tundra, Desert Scrubs, and Extreme Deserts.
Monoculture	Farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year. This can attract pests and depletes nutrients from the soil.
Irrigation	The practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Also known as watering.
Erosion	The process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents. When we cut down rainforests, we remove roots which causes the soil to erode. Other plants can't grow in that area anymore.
Quilitative Observation	Derived from the word 'quality', it is an observation made using your five senses, and does not use numbers. Examples include color, size, shape, smell, taste, and tone texture.
Quantitative Observation	An observation that is measurable such as amount, height, length, weight, speed, time, etc. Make sure to use units.
Sustainability	The ability to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generation.
Sustainable Development	The use of renewable resources in a way that will not harm and, at the same time, increase the standard of living for people.
Sustainable Ecosystem	An ecosystem that is capable of withstanding pressure and give support to a variety of organisms.
Ecological Footprint	A measure of an individual's or a population's impact on the environment, including land needed for living, to produce food, and discard waste.
Carrying Capacity	Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support.
Symbiosis	A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.
Commensalism	A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
Mutualism	A relationship between two species in which both species benefit.
Parasitism	A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed.
Predetor-Prey Relationship	A predator consumes its prey.
Competition	Two or more organisms compete for the same resources in the same place at the same time. This requires energy, and reduced energy leads to reduced growth and reproduction.
Interspecific Competition	Competition between members of different species.
Intraspecific Competition	Competition between members of the same species.
Biodiversity	Many different species of animals living in an ecosystem at the same time. This leads to more sustainable ecosystems because animals have more prey and/or predators than one.
Paradigm	A model or concept that is accepted by most people in society; it may explain a complex process, an idea or a set of data.
Paradigm Shift	A fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
Exponential Growth	Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate.
Density-Independent	Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density, such as weather, fires, and pollution.
Density-Dependent	Referring to any characteristic that varies according to an increase in population density, such as disease, parasites, predation, and competition.
Ecological Niche	A specific role of a species within an ecosystem, including its use of resources, and relationships with other species. Two species can not have the same one of this.
Invasive Species	Plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native. Sometimes they are brought to places on purpose.

Next up

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by Noujen Ali over 1 year ago