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Ecology and Living Things

Terms in this set (41)

conservation
Wise use and preservation of natural resources
threatened species
any species which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.
succession
the gradual regrowth or development of a community of organisms over time
environment
anything that affects the organism and its surroundings
endangered species
a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened
climax community
An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment
parasite
an organism that feeds on another living creature, usually without killing it.
secondary consumer
An animal that feeds on smaller plant-eating animals in a food chain.
primary consumer
An animal that eats grass and other green plants in a food chain; an herbivore
ecology
the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment
biospere
the part of the Earth where life exists
carrying capacity
the largest population that an environment can support at any given time
limiting factors
a needed resource that is in limited suppy
photosynthesis
energy to make food from the sunlights
host
an organism on which a parasite lives
abiotic
the nonliving factors in the environment, including rocks, water,light and temperature
biotic
living factors in the environment
biome
a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities
commensalism
a relationship between two organisms in whcih one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
habitat
the enviornment where an organism lives
niche
an organism's way of life and it's relationships with its abiotic and biotic environments
scavenger
an animal that feeds on the body's of dead animals
symbiosis
a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other
mutualism
a relationship between two species in which both species benefit
parasitism
a relationship between two species in which one species, the parasite, benefits from the other, the host, with is harmed
producer
an organism that makes their own food, usually by using the energy from sunlight to make sugar
consumer
an organism that eats producers or other organisms for energy
herbivore
an organism that eats only plants
carnivore
an organis that eats other animals
omnivore
an organism that eats both plants and animals
predator
an organism that eats all or part of another organism
prey
an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
community
all of the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other
decomposer
an organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or animal waste and consuming or absorbing the nutrients. example bacteria and fungi
food chain
the pathway of energy transfer through various states as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms
food web
a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
energy pyramid
triangular diagram that shows an ecosystems loss of energy
population
a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific area
ecosystem
a community of organisms and their abiotic environment
extinction
describes a species of organisms that has died out completely and will never be seen again. example dinosuars
coevolution
the longterm changes that take place in two species because of their close interactions with one another
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