| Term | Definition |
|---|
| bio- | life |
| sphere | a shape like a ball or globe |
| biosphere | all life on Earth & all parts of Earth where life exists |
| -logy | the study of |
| ecology | the study of how orgnisms interact with each other & their surroundings |
| inter- | between or among things |
| species | a group of similar organisms that can breed to produce fertile offspring |
| population | a group of the same species that live in the same area |
| community | different populations living together in the same area |
| ecosystem | all living things in one place, plus the physical environment they live in |
| biome | a group of ecosystems with similar climates and typical organisms |
| a- | not, without |
| biotic factors | living, biological influences on organisms |
| abiotic factors | nonliving, physical parts of an ecosystem |
| environment | all biotic and abiotic factors surrounding an organism |
| producer | something that makes things |
| primary | something that comes first or is most important |
| primary producer | an organism that makes compounds that others use later |
| auto | self |
| troph | having to do with feeding |
| autotroph | an organism that makes its own food |
| photo- | having to do with light |
| chemo- | having to do with chemicals |
| synthesis | making something |
| photosynthesis | making food (carbohydrates) using light energy |
| chemosynthesis | making food (carbohydrates) using chemical energy |
| consumer | something that uses what something else has made |
| hetero- | different |
| heterotroph | an organism that eats another organism |
| decomposer | an organism that breaks down dead matter as it eats it |
| phyto- | having to do with plants |
| zoo- | having to do with animals |
| plankton | tiny organisms |
| phytoplankton | tiny plants |
| zooplankton | tiny animals |
| food chain | a series of steps where organisms pass on energy by being eaten |
| food web | a series on connected food chains |
| trophic level | each step in a food chain or food web |
| biomass | the total amount of living tissue in a trophic level |
| carbohydrate | a chemical compound that is the major source of energy for organisms |
| detritus | small pieces of dead and decaying plant and animal remains |
Combine with other sets
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