| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Autotrophs | Organisms capable of synthesizing their own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy. |
| Carnivores | Animals that feed chiefly on the flesh of other animals. |
| Commensalism | A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one derives some benefit while the other is unaffected. |
| Community | A group of populations living and interacting with one another in a particular environment. |
| Competition | The simultaneous demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light. |
| Consumers | Heterotrophic organisms that ingest other organisms or organic matter in a food chain. |
| Decomposer | An organism usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances. |
| Detritivore | An organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the ecosystem. |
| Detritus | Matter produced by the decay or disintegration of an organic substance. |
| Ecology | The scientific study of the relationships between living things and their environments. |
| Ecosystem | A biological unit comprosed of the community living in a discrete region, the non-living surroundings and the interactions occuring within the community and between the community and its surroundings. |
| Endoparasite | An internal parasite. |
| Guild | A group of diverse species, especially animal species, that occupy a common niche in a given community, characterized by exploitation of environmental resources in the same way. |
| Hemi-parasite | A plant, such as mistletoe, that obtains some nourishment from its host but also carries on photosynthesis. |
| Herbivores | Animals that feed on plants. |
| Heterotrophs | Organisms that cannot synthesize their own food and are dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition. |
| Holo-parasitism | Form of parasitism in which a plant parasite depends completely on its host for nutrients and water. |
| Host | An organism or cell on or in which a parasite lives or feeds. |
| Inter-specific competition | A form of competition in which individuals of different species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem. |
| Intra-specific competition | A form of competition in which members of the same species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem. |
| Mutualism | A relationship between two species of organisms in which both benefit from the association. |
| Niche overlap | A situation in an ecosystem whereby different species are in competition for the same energy and space resources. |
| Niche separation | A situation in which two species in the community use different resources such that the two species have no degree of niche overlap. |
| Omnivores | Animals that eat both plants and animals. |
| Parasitoids | Any of various insects, whose larvae are parasites that eventually kill their hosts. |
| Photosynthesis | The process by which green plants, algae, diatoms, and certain forms of bacteria make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll, using energy captured from sunlight by chlorophyll, and releasing excess oxygen as a byproduct. |
| Population | A group of individuals of the same species occupying a particular geographic area. |
| Predator | An animal that lives by capturing and eating other animals. |
| Prey | An animal hunted or caught for food. |
| Producer | An autotrophic organism that serves as a source of food for other organisms in a food chain. |
| Symbiosis | The close association between two or more organisms of different species, often but not necessarily benefiting each member. |
| Exoparasite | An external parasite. |
| Biotic | Living factors in an ecosystem. |
| Abiotic | Non-living factors in an ecosystem. |
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