Ecology Flashcards
(37 cards)
Food Chain
one possible path that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem.
Food Web
consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem.
Producers
make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition.
Autotrophs
make their own food and do not depend on any other organism for nutrition.
Consumers
Eat other organisms for food.
Carnivore
animals that eat other animals
Omnivore
animals that eat both plants and animals
Trophic Levels
The grouping of organisms in a food web based on their role.
Primary Consumers
are herbivores. Eat plants, algae, and other producers.
Herbivores
Eat plants, algae, and other producers.
Secondary Consumers
eat the herbivores or primary consumers
Tertiary Consumers
eat the secondary consumers
Apex Predators
A top consumer or top predator.
Detritivores
organisms that eat non living plant and animal remains. (a scavenger)
Scavenger
organisms that eat non living plant and animal remains. (a scavenger)
Decomposers
turn organic wastes, such as decaying plants, into inorganic materials, such as nutrient-rich soil.
Ecosystem
All of the living and non living parts of the environment that interact with each other.
Ecology
The study of how organisms interact with their environment and with other organisms.
Dominant Species
A group of organisms that outnumber/dominates the other species in the area.
Environment
All the living and non living 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