Ecology and food chains: Ecology: Biology: GCSE (9:1)

• Ecology


  The branch of biology that deals with relationships of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

  
• Photosynthesis


  Photosynthetic organisms such as plants or algae are the producers of biomass for life on Earth

  
• Biomass


  The mass of living organisms in an ecosystem which is composed of all of the molecules an organism synthesises or gains from the consumption of other organisms

  
• Food chain


  A diagram to show simple relationships in an ecosystem with a focus on the food sources of organisms, an arrow shows the transfer of energy or biomass along the food chain

  
• Food web


  Multiple interconnected food chains that better represent the relationships of organisms in an ecosystem

  
• Producer

  A plant or algal species that starts a food chain by synthesising molecules, specifically glucose that is produced via photosynthesis

  
• Consumer


  An organism that eats another organism to gain molecules that can be used for energy and important biological processes

  
• Primary consumer


  An animal that eats producers such as plants or algae

  
• Secondary consumer


  An animal that eats primary consumers

  
• Tertiary consumer


  An animal that eats secondary consumers

  
• Herbivore


  An animal that eats plants, can also be referred to as a primary consumer

  
• Carnivore


  An animal that eats other animals, can be a secondary or tertiary consumer

  
• Omnivore


  An opportunistic animal that can eat both plants or other animals

  
• Detritivore


  A type of decomposer that feeds on dead organic material such as plant detritus in the form of fallen leaves

  
• Decomposer


  An organism responsible for the decay and breakdown of other dead organisms, so that important nutrients can be recycled

  
• Prey


  An animal that is eaten by another animal called a predator

  
• Predator


  A consumer that kills or eats other animals known as prey

  
• Apex predator


  An animal at the top of a food chain or web, the apex predator has no predators of its own

  
• Distribution and abundance of species


  Can be measured using a range of experimental methods using transects and quadrats

  
• Stable community

  One where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so the population sizes remains fairly constant
• Predator-prey relationship


  The interaction between an organism that eats another organism and the consequent effect one species has on the other