Ecological Terms and Concepts Flashcards
Explain what ecology is.
the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
What is biotic?
living factors like predators, food, pests, other animals, trees
What is abiotic?
long living factors like water, weather, nutrients in soil
What is abundance?
a count of the population size.
What is distribution?
where the organisms are in the environment
What is population?
all the members of one species living in an area
What is community?
multiple populations of different species in a specific area
what is ecosystem?
the living organisms that interact with the abiotic and biotic factors
What is nutrients cycling?
Nutrients are recycled like when an animal eats an organism and then the animal dies the nutrients are returned to the ecosystem
What is energy flowing through an ecosystem?
sun gives energy. plants receive it. animal eats plant. animal releases energy. Not recycled.
What are producers?
Plants. Autotrophs.
What are primary consumers?
Herbivores that eat plants. Heterotrophs
What are secondary consumers?
Heterotrophic animals that eat animals
What are tertiary consumers?
they eat secondary consumers
Why are decomposers important in an ecosystem?
They eat dead plants and animals, release the nutrients back into the environment
