Competition
symbiotic relationship between or among living things for resources
Coexist
to exist together or at the same time
Cooperation
process where groups of organisms work or act together
Predation
act of killing and eating other animals
Predator
any animal or organism that hunts and kills other organisms
Prey
an animal hunted for food
Symbiosis
close relationship between two or more species
Mutualism
relationship that benefits two organisms
Commensalism
relationship between two species of a plant, animal, fungus, etc
Parasite
organism that lives in or on another organism
Parasitism
relationship between two species of plants or animals which one benefits at the expense of the other, sometimes without killing the host organism.
Host
an organism that harbors another organism inside or near their body in a symbiotic relationship
Decomposition
process of rotting or decaying
Carbon cycle
a series of naturally occurring processes where carbon is exchanged between organisms and the environment
Nitrogen fixation
Process by which free nitrogen is extracted from the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds
Nitrogen cycle
the natural circulation of nitrogen by living organisms
Denitrification
loss or removal of nitrogen or nitrogen compound
Water cycle
sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapor, precipitates to earth in liquid or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation
Evaporation
process of turning from liquid into vapor
Transpiration
process where plants absorb water through the roots and then give off water vapor through pores in their leaves
Condensation
water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it
Precipitation
rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground
Groundwater
water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock
Runoff
the draining away of water from the surface of an area of land