Ecology Vocabulary Review

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Ecology: The study of how living things interact with nature

Ecology

• The study of how living things interact with nature

Abiotic

Non Living parts of the environment

Biotic

The living parts of the environment

Symbiosis

A relationship where two different species live closely and interact often.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis is when two species help each other.

Commensalism

A type of symbiosis when one species benefits from another but the second species isn’t affected

Parasitism

A type of relationship where one organism benefits while harming the other organism.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of organisms of a species an ecosystem can hold

Limiting Factor

The scarcest resource or the one that runs out first that causes a population to decline.

Adaptation

A trait that helps an organism survive.

Predator

An organism that hunts others for food

Prey

An organism that is hunted for food

Coevolution

When a relationship between two species causes them both to adapt.

Population

All of the members of a species in an area

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their environment.

Biosphere

All of the living space on earth.

Community

All of the different organisms of different groups in an area

Competition

When two organisms fight over the same resources

herbivore

An animal that eats only plants

Carnivore

An animal that eats only other animals

Omivore

An animal that eats plants and animals

Food Chain

A diagram showing how energy passes from one organism to the next

Energy Pyramid

A diagram showing how energy decreases as it goes up a food chain.

Decomposition

When dead organisms break down into simpler chemicals

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down material in dead organisms.

Biodiversity

Large amount of different organisms

Food Web

A diagram showing all of the connected food chains in an ecosystem