1.
abiotic factor: nonliving parts of the environment
2.
autotroph: organism that uses energy from the sun to make their own food using inorganic compounds
3.
biological community: made up of interacting populations in a certain area at a certain time
4.
biosphere: portion of the earth that supports life
5.
biotic factor: living parts of the environment
6.
commensalism: symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other doesn't benefit but it isn't harmed either
7.
decomposer: organism that breaks down and absorbs nutrients from dead organisms
8.
ecology: scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment
9.
ecosystem: interactios among populations in a community, including the biotic and abiotic factors
10.
food chain: simple model that shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
11.
food web: model that shows all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level in a community
12.
habitat: place where an organism lives out its life
13.
heterotroph: organism that cannot make its own food and must feed on other organisms
14.
mutualism: symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit
15.
niche: role or position a species has in its environment
16.
parasitism: symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other is harmed
17.
population: group of organisms all of the same species which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time
18.
scavenger: animal that feeds on animals that have already died (carrion)
19.
symbiosis: permanent, close association between two or more organisms of different species
20.
trophic level: represents a feeding step in the movement of energy and materials through an ecosystem
