Ecology Vocabulary

• Ecology


  The study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment
• Organism


  A living thing that can carry out life processes on its own
• Species


  A group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
• Population


  All the individuals of a particular species that live in a specific area
• Community


  All the populations that are living together and interacting in the same area.
• Biotic factors


  Living or once-living components of an ecosystem, including plants, animals, and microorganisms
• Abiotic factors

  Nonliving components of an ecosystem, such as temperature, sunlight, water, and soil
• Resources


  Substances or objects required by organisms to survive, grow, and reproduce
• Limiting factor


  A resource in an ecosystem that restricts the size and growth of a population, often the most scarce or difficult to obtain resource
• Carrying Capacity


  The maximum population size that an ecosystem can sustain based on available resources
• Predator

  An organism that hunts and feeds on other organisms
• Prey


  An organism that is hunted and consumed by other organisms
• Competition


  The interaction between organisms that depend on the same resources in an ecosystem
• Ecosystem


  A community of organisms and their abiotic environment
• Symbiosis: Mutualism


  A relationship between two species where both benefit and gain something helpful for survival
• Autotrophs


  Organisms that can produce their own energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
• Heterotrophs


  Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other living organisms
• Decomposers


  Organisms that break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem