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Ecology Vocabulary
Ecosystems, food webs, biomes and populations.
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- EcosystemTermLiving things and their nonliving surroundings interacting
- HabitatTermThe place where an organism lives
- NicheTermAn organism's role and way of life in its ecosystem
- PopulationTermAll members of one species in an area
- CommunityTermAll the populations living in an area
- BiosphereTermAll the parts of Earth where life exists
- BiomeTermA large region defined by climate, plants and animals
- Biotic factorTermA living part of an ecosystem
- Abiotic factorTermA nonliving part, like sunlight or water
- ProducerTermAn organism that makes its own food, like a plant
- ConsumerTermAn organism that eats other organisms
- HerbivoreTermAn animal that eats only plants
- CarnivoreTermAn animal that eats only animals
- OmnivoreTermAn animal that eats both plants and animals
- DecomposerTermAn organism that breaks down dead matter, like fungi
- ScavengerTermAn animal that eats dead animals it did not kill
- PredatorTermAn animal that hunts other animals
- PreyTermAn animal that is hunted
- Food chainTermA single path of energy from one organism to the next
- Food webTermMany connected food chains
- Trophic levelTermA step in a food chain
- Energy pyramidTermA diagram showing energy decreasing at each level
- How much energy passes to the next level, roughly?TermAbout 10 percent
- Primary consumerTermAn herbivore that eats producers
- Secondary consumerTermAn animal that eats primary consumers
- Apex predatorTermA predator at the top of the food chain
- SymbiosisTermA close relationship between two species
- MutualismTermBoth species benefit
- CommensalismTermOne species benefits and the other is not affected
- ParasitismTermOne species benefits and the other is harmed
- CompetitionTermOrganisms using the same limited resources
- Carrying capacityTermThe most individuals an environment can support
- Limiting factorTermSomething that keeps a population from growing, like food
- SuccessionTermThe slow change in an ecosystem's community over time
- Primary successionTermLife starting in a place with no soil, like new rock
- Secondary successionTermRegrowth after a disturbance where soil remains
- Pioneer speciesTermThe first species to move into a new area
- Keystone speciesTermA species that has a big effect on its ecosystem
- Invasive speciesTermA non-native species that spreads and harms an ecosystem
- Native speciesTermA species that naturally lives in an area
- Endangered speciesTermA species at risk of dying out
- ExtinctTermNo members of the species are left alive
- BiodiversityTermThe variety of life in an area
- TundraTermCold, treeless biome with frozen ground
- Taiga (boreal forest)TermCold forest biome with evergreen trees
- Temperate forestTermForest with four seasons and deciduous trees
- Tropical rainforestTermWarm, wet forest with the most species
- GrasslandTermBiome of grasses with few trees
- SavannaTermTropical grassland with scattered trees
- DesertTermBiome that gets very little rain
- WetlandTermLand covered with water for much of the year, like a marsh
- EstuaryTermWhere a river meets the sea and fresh and salt water mix
- Coral reefTermAn underwater ecosystem built by coral animals
- Nitrogen cycleTermHow nitrogen moves between air, soil and living things
- Carbon cycleTermHow carbon moves between air, living things and Earth
- Water cycleTermHow water moves between Earth's surface and the air
- Nitrogen fixationTermBacteria turning nitrogen gas into a form plants can use
- HibernationTermA long winter sleep to save energy
- MigrationTermMoving from one region to another with the seasons
- CamouflageTermColoring that helps an organism blend into its surroundings
- MimicryTermWhen one species looks like another
- EstivationTermA summer sleep to survive heat or drought
- OverpopulationTermWhen there are too many individuals for the resources
- Ecological footprintTermThe amount of nature a person or group uses
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