Ecology

• Herbivore


  An organism that feeds off of plants, e.g. stegosaurus
• Carnivore


  Any organism that eats other animals. E.g. tigers, Venus flytrap
• Omnivore


  An animal that eats both plants and animals, e.g. humans
• Predator


  An animal that gains food/lives by killing and eating other animals, e.g. owls
• Prey


  An animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food, e.g. mice
• Competition


  When both organisms try to obtain the same resource, which may only exist in limited amounts can occur between different species and members of the same species
• Mutualism


  A relationship where two organisms live closely together and they both benefit, can depend on each other for survival, eg. bees and flowers
• Commensalism


  A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected, e.g. barnacles and whales, barnacles get food and doesn't harm whales
• Symbiosis


  A term describing any relationship or interaction between two dissimilar organisms, the type of symbiosis depends on where the organisms benefit from the relationship, e.g. mutualism is a form of symbiosis
• Biodiversity


  Biological diversity is the number of species on Earth and the genetic diversity within these species. The number of different species in a given area
• Ecology


  The scientific study of interactions among organisms
• Biosphere


  The combined portions of the planet in which all of life exist, including land, water, and atmosphere
• Species


  A group of organisms so similar to another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring
• Population


  Same species and live in the same area
• Communities


  Different populations that live together in a defined area
• Ecosystem


  A collection of all organisms that live in a particular place together with their nonliving environment
• Biome


  A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities
• Biotic factors


  • Predators
  • Parasites
  • Animal life
  • Plant life
• Abiotic factors


  Physical, non-living factors that factors that influence an ecosystem
• Habitat


  The area where an organism lives
• Niche


  The full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. It is an organisms' occupation. The role the species plays, and includes the type of food it eats, where it lives, where it reproduces, and its relationships with other species
• Some creatures find a specific port of the ecosystem where they are best adapted to survive
• NicheThe role the species plays, and includes the type of food it eats, where it lives, where it reproduces, and its relationships with other species

  the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. It is an organisms’ occupation.
• In a food chain each organism obtains energy from the one at the level below
• Plants (producers)


  Create their own food through photosynthesis
• Animals (consumers)


  Cannot create their own food, must eat plants or other animals to get energy
• Primary producers


  Organisms capable of producing their own food, photosynthetic, use light energy, e.g. algae, phytoplankton, large plants
• Primary producers


  • Reeds
  • Flowers
  • Ferns
  • Hibiscus
• Types of consumers


  • Herbivores
  • Carnivores
  • Omnivores
  • Detritivores
• Other ways to classify consumers

  • Primary consumers (herbivores)
  • Secondary consumers (carnivores that eat herbivores)
  • Tertiary consumers (carnivores that eat other carnivores)
• Primary consumers


  • Kangaroo
  • Caterpillar
  • Cricket
• Secondary consumers


  • Snakes
  • Frogs
• Tertiary consumers


  • Sharks
  • Wedge-tailed eagle
• Omnivores


  • Possums
  • Wallabies
  • Bilby
• Detritivores


  • Worms