The study of how living things interact with one another and the environment
Parasite
An organism that survives by living and feeding on other organisms, but rarely kill them
Habitat
A description of where an organism is found
Symbiosis
A description of any close relationship between two species
Biotic
All the living things in an environment such as bacteria, plants, and animals
Biosphere
A subdivision of the environment that includes all living and nonliving portions of the planet
Decomposer
An organism that consumes dead organisms and organic waste, example-bacteria, fungus
Food Chain
A straight-line representation that identifies specific feeding relationships between prey and predator
Transpiration
The release of water vapor from the leaves of trees
Sunlight
The ultimate source of all energy in most ecosystems
Correct food chain
Snail-Frog-Bird-Fox
Omnivores
Animals that feed both on plants and animals
Nitrogen fixation
The process where bacteria turn nitrogen into a form that plants can use (ammonia)
Detritivores
Organisms that rely on detritus, the decomposing particles of organic matter, for food
Terrestrial
Earthworms and some beetles, termites, and maggots
Marine wetland
Coastlines in the tropical and subtropical regions fringed with a strip of swamp land which is inundated every high tide with marine and brackish waters
Energy transfer efficiency
The amount of energy that is passed from one organism to the next in a food chain is 10%
Biomass
The net weight of all organisms living in an ecosystem, which, increases because of its net production
Greenhouse Effect
The process by which radiative energy leaving a planetary surface is absorbed by some atmospheric gases
Tropical rainforests
The most productive biomes of the Earth and those of greatest biodiversity
Photosynthesis in water biomes
Occurs near the surface
Tundra
A biome that has low temperatures and permafrost
Desert
A biome where the aggravating factor is the water: the precipitations do not arrive at 15 inches per year, whereas the annual average temperature is of 86 F
Savannah
A biome where the primary vegetation is grass
Biome
A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Photoautotrophs
Autotrophs that are photosynthesizers such as algae and green plants that produce most of the organic nutrients for the biosphere
Chemautotrophs
Autotrophs that are bacteria that obtain energy by oxidizing inorganic compounds such as ammonia, nitrites, and sulfides, and they use this energy to synthesize carbohydrates
Autecology
The study of the ecology of a single species
Boreal Forest
A biome that has mainly coniferous trees
Autotroph
An organism that uses light energy to make its own food
Community
All the different populations that live and interact in an environment
Trophic level
A group of organisms that feed at a particular level in a food chain
Acidification
A natural process that causes a decrease in the pH of the ocean
Autotrophs
Organisms that produce their own organic nutrients for themselves and other members of the community
Structural adaptation
The shape of fish is streamlined over time to move faster in water
Biodiversity
The range of different species in the environment
Shelford's law of tolerance
Organisms with a wide tolerance limit for environmental factors tend to have high population size with wide distribution