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ecology |
scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms
and their environment |
| biosphere |
part of Earth in which life exists including land, water and air or
atmosphere |
| species |
group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| population |
group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area |
| community |
group of different populations that live together in a defined area |
| ecosystem |
collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place,
together with their nonliving environment |
| biome |
group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities |
| autotroph |
organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it
to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer |
| photosynthesis |
process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to
convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy
carbohydrates such as sugars and starches |
| chemosynthesis |
process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical
energy to produce carbohydrates |
| biomass |
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
| carnivore |
organism that obtains energy by eating (only) other animals |
| consumer |
organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply;
also called a heterotroph |
| decomposer |
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter |
| detritivore |
organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
| ecological pyramid |
diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each
trophic level in a food chain or food web |
| food chain |
series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by
eating and being eaten |
| food web |
network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships
among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
| herbivore |
organism that obtains energy by eating only plants |
| heterotroph |
organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a
consumer |
| omnivore |
organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals |
| trophic level |
step in a food chain or food web |
