Ecology Flashcards
(37 cards)
Food Web
consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem
Food Chain
one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem
Trophic Level
the grouping for organisms in a food web based on their role
Producers
make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition
Autotrophs
make their own food
Consumers
animals that eat other producers
Carnivore
animals that eat other animals
Omnivores
animals that eat both plants and animals
Herbivores
Anything eating plants, algae, and other producers
Primary consumers
are herbivores, eat plants and other producers
Secondary consumers
eat the herbivores or primary consumers
Tertiary consumers
eat the secondary consumers
Apex predators
top consumer
Detritivores
organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains
Scavenger
organisms that eat nonliving plant and animal remains (detritivores)
Decomposers
break down dead organisms into nutrient-rich soil for use by the producers
Ecosystem
all of the living and nonliving parts of the enviroment and with other organisms
Ecology
the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with other organisms.
Dominant species
a group of organisms that outnumbers/dominates the other species in the area.
Environment
all the living and nonliving things that surround an organism
Biosphere
that part of Earth in which life can exist
Habitat
the location in which an organism lives
Species
a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can mate with each other to produce offspring
Population
the group of organisms of the same species living in the same area