Ecology 2

Subdecks (3)

Cards (132)

  • Ecology - is the branch of biology that tries to understand how these kinds of interactions between organisms and their environment happen.
  • Ecology is the study of the relationships and interactions of living things with one another and with their external environment.
  • Ecology is derived from the Greek word "oikos" which means house and "logos" which means study.
  • Ecologists - are scientists who study these interactions of organisms.
  • Ecologists study both nonliving; physical environment and living; biological environment.
  • Biosphere - is the part of Earth that supports life, which includes the top portion of Earth's crust; Lithosphere, all the bodies of water on Earth's surface; Hydrosphere, and the surrounding atmosphere.
  • Biome - refers to a set of ecosystem occupying large ecological areas, sharing distinct abiotic characteristics among its unique flora and fuana.
  • Biomes are usually defined by abiotics factors such as climate patterns, soil type and vegetation.
  • Ecosystem - an area where living things interact with one another and with their environment.
  • Community - where different species of organisms interact with one another in a given area.
  • Species -are group of organisms that share the same general physical characteristics and are able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
  • The organisms may share or depend on one another for food, shelter, and other needs.
  • Population - a form that consists of group of organisms of the same species that live in a community.
  • Habitat - the actual place or type of environment where an organism or a population lives.
  • Niche - is the role of an organism in its habitat.
  • Biotic Factors - Living parts of an ecosystem.
  • Abiotic Factors - Nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
  • Biotic Factors include:
    Animals
    Plants
    Organisms
  • Abiotic Factor includes:
    Light
    Temperature
    Water
    Oxygen
    pH ( acidity and alkalinity )
    Salinity ( salt concentration )
  • Ecological Niche - a precise description of the exact way in which an organism fits into its environment.
  • Classifications of Organisms in a food chain:
    Producers
    Consumers
    Decomposers
  • Producers are also known as autotrophs or self feeders, which are mainly green plants on land that manufacture their own food.
  • Producers are the beginning of the food chain.
  • Consumers - are organisms that cannot make their own food and depend on producers for food and energy.
  • Consumers are also known as Heterotrophs.
  • Herbivores - are animals that consume plants for food.
  • Herbivore is derived from the Latin word "Herba" which means herb and "Vorare" which means eat.
  • Carnivores - are animals that eat flesh of another animals.
  • Omnivores - are organisms that eat both plants and animals, known as humans.
  • Carnivore comes from the word "Carnis" which means flesh.
  • Omnivore comes from the word "Omnis" which means all.
  • Scavengers - are consumers that feed in decaying bodies of dead animals.
  • Detritivores or Detritus Feeders - are organisms that eat fragments of dead organic matter and return them as nutrients to enrich the soil.
  • Decomposers - are microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.
  • Food Chain- is a way of describing the flow of energy in food through a community.
  • Trophic Level - each stage in a food chain.
  • Predator- an animal that feeds on another or animal called prey.
  • Food Web - a network of food chains that connect and overlap.
  • Energy Pyramid - the flow of energy through an ecosystem illustrated in a block diagram.
  • Pyramid of Numbers - shows the number of organisms interacting Ina food chain in a certain community.