Ecology Review
About this set
Created by:
mmg27 on December 16, 2011
Subjects:
Classes:
Honors Biology 391, Biology 392
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
34 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 the study of organisms and their interactions with each other and their environment | ecology |
| all areas of the planet where life exists including land, water and air | biosphere |
| groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area | populations |
| different populations that live together in a defined area | communities |
| collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment | ecosystem |
| organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer | autotroph |
| an orgasnism that must ingest or east to get energy and organic compounds | heterotroph |
| an organism that makes its own food, also called an autotroph | producer |
| organisms that get energy and nutrients by eating producers | primary consumers |
| organisms that eat primary consumers | secondary consumers |
| organism that obtains energy by eating only plants | herbivore |
| organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals | omnivore |
| organism that obtains energy by eating other animals | carnivore |
| organism that obtains its energy by feeding on dead organisms or wastes | detrivore |
| organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment | decomposers |
| a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten | food chain |
| a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem, the interaction of many food chains | food web |
| feeding level in an ecosystem | trophic level |
| a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web | energy pyramid |
| a representation of the number of individual organisms in each trophic level of an ecosystem | pyramid of numbers |
| represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level | biomass pyramid |
| process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another | biogeochemical cycles |
| interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism | predation |
| the relation between two different species of organisms that are live closely together and are interdependent | symbiosis |
| symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed | commensalism |
| symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it | parasitism |
| symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship | mutualism |
| process in which bacteria convert nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds plants can use to make proteins | nitrogen fixation |
| conversion of nitrates in the soil by bacteria into nitrogen gas | denitrification |
| the process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas | evaporation |
| loss of water from a plant through its leaves | transpiration |
| biotic factors | living components of an ecosystem |
| abiotic factors | nonliving components in an ecosystem |
| 10% rule | each trophic level receives about one-tenth of the energy of the level below it |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.
Completed “Learn” mode
RyanDeetscreek , jessicaalidion , agrossman , acschwedock , 15blepore , Gabby9797 , feldsteinandrew , Bradley_Lin , 15rsmith , evanbaird96 , ekleyens , laurenpyfer , jamestralie , marissaholl19 , IlanaZ (See all 23)