TERMINOLOGY
- Ecology-the study of the interactions among living things and their surroundings
- * Ecosystem-includes all of the organisms as well as the climate, soil, water, rocks and other non-living things in an area
- * Organism-is an individual living thing
- * Population-all the individuals of a species that live in an area
- * Community-a group of different species that live together in one area
- * Biome-a major regional or global community of organisms
- * Biotic Factor-living things such as plants, animals,fungi, and bacteria
- * Abiotic Factor-non-living things such as moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, and soil
- * Biodiversity-the assortment or variety of living things in an ecosystem
- * Keystone Species-a species that has an unusual large effect on its ecosystem
- * Producer/Autotroph-organisms that get their energy from non-living resources
- * Consumer/Hetertroph-organisms that get their energy by eating living or once living resources
- * Photosynthesis-process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy
- * Hebivore-organisms that eat only plants
- * Carnivore-organims that only eat only animals
- * Omnivore-organisms that eat both plants and animals
- * Detritivore-organisms that eat dead organic matter
- * Decomposer-detritivores that break down organic matter into simpler compounds
- * Specialist-a consumer that primarily eats one specific organism or feeds on a very small number of organisms
- * Generalists-are consumer that have a varying diet
- * Trophic Levels-are the levels of nourishment in a food chain
- * Food Web-a model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships and the flow of energy
- * Hyrdologic Cycle-the circular pathway of water on Earth from the atmosphere, to the surface,below ground and back
- * Biogeochemical Cycle-the movement of a particular chemical through the biological and geological, or living and non-living, parts of an ecosystem
- * Nitrogen Fixation-a process when certain types of bacteria convert gaseous nitrogen into ammonia
- * Biomass-total dry mass of all organisms in a given area
- * Energy Pyramid-a diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other trophic levels
- * Habitat-combined biotic and abiotic factors found in the area where an organism lives
- * Niche-composed of all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors that a species needs to survive, stay healthy,and reproduce