Ecology Vocabulary Flashcards
(21 cards)
Ecosystem
biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
Producer
person, company, or country that makes, grows, or supplies goods or commodities for sale.
Consumer
person who purchases goods and services for personal use
Scavenger
an animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse.
Decomposed
an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material
Food chain
hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.
Food web
system of interlocking and interdependent food chains
Energy pyramid
is a graphical model of energy flow in a community
Heterotrophs
organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex organic substances
Autotroph
organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide
Trophies level
each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy
Biomass
the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume
Nitrogen fixation
chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds, especially by certain microorganisms as part of the nitrogen cycle
Abiotic
Non living, and not alive
Biotic
relating to or resulting from living things, especially in their ecological relations
Primary succession
occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and other organisms usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited.
Secondary succession
series of community changes which take place on a previously colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat
Pioneer species
hardy species which are the first to colonize previously biodiverse steady-state ecosystems. Some lichens grow on rocks without soil, so may be among the first of life forms, and break down the rocks into soil for plants
Weathering
wear away or change the appearance or texture of (something) by long exposure to the air.
Erosion
the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents
Deposition
process in which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or land mass
