Ch14: Ecology and Habitat

• Population - members of the same species in an area

  Community - a combination of different populations in an area

  Ecological niche - the role of a species in a community

  Habitat - the place where an organism lives

  Ecosystem - a community of living organisms that interact with each other
• Trophic level - the position that an organism occupies in a food chain

  Producers - receive energy from sun by photosynthesis

  Primary consumers - receive energy from producers, by eating them

  Secondary consumers - receive energy from primary consumers, by eating them

  Tertiary consumers - receive energy from secondary consumers, by eating them

  Decomposers - ensure that vital elements such as carbon and nitrogen are recycled
• Measuring abiotic factors:

  Air temperature - use a thermometer - place in it the air

  Soil temperature - use a thermometer - shove it in the soil

  Soil pH - use universal indicator - collect some soil and test it with indicator

  Light intensity - use a light meter - expose a light meter to light then take the reading