Wildlife Biology FC Flashcards
(30 cards)
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Biotic Factor
All of the living organisms within an ecosystem.
Abiotic Factor
Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the ecosystems.
Organism
An individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Species
A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.
Population
A particular section, group, or type of people or animals living in an area or country.
Community
A group of interdependent organisms of different species living or growing together in a specified habitat.
Habitat
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organisms.
Natural Selection
The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
Evolution
The process where organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms.
Producers/autotrophs
An organism that produces energy.
Consumers/heterotrophs
Eat producers or other consumers for energy.
Primary Consumer
They eat the producers.
Secondary Consumer
They eat the primary consumers.
Tertiary Consumer
They are at the top of the food chain.
Herbivores
They eat only plants.
Carnivores
They eat only meat.
Omnivores
They eat both plants and meat.
Decomposers
An organism that decomposes organic material.
Food Chain
A hierarchical series of organisms each depending on the next as a source of food.
Food Web
A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
Energy Pyramid
A graphical model of energy flow in a community.
Carbon Cycle
Carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment.
Nitrogen Cycle
A series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms.
