Chapter 2 Flashcards
(20 cards)
Biological community
Community made up of interacting populations in a certain area at a certain time
Abiotic factor
Non living parts of an organism environment; air currents l, temperature, moisture, light, and soil
Biosphere
Portion of earth that supports life; extends from high in the atmosphere to the bottom of the oceans
Biotic factor
All the living organisms that inhabit an environment
Commensalism
Symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed not benefited
Ecology
Scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments
Ecosystem
Interactions among populations in a community; the community’s physical surroundings
Habitat
Place where an organisms lives out it’s life
Mutualism
Symbiotic relationship where both species benefit
Niche
Role or position a species has in its environments
Parasitism
Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of another, usually another specie
Population
Group of organisms all of the same species
Symbiosis
Permanent, close association between two or more organisms of different species
Autotroph
Organisms that use energy from the sun or energy then stored in chemical compounds to manufacture their own nutrients
Biomass
Total mass or weight of all living matter in a given area
Decomposer
Organism, such as fungi and bacteria, that break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms
Food chain
Simple model that shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
Food web
Model that shows all the possible feeding relationships at each graphic level in a community
Heterotroph
Organisms that cannot make their own food and must feed on other organisms for energy and nutrients
Trophic level
Organism that represents a feeding step in the movement of energy an materials through an ecosystem
