biotic factors
living factors
abiotic factors
nonliving factors
biosphere
the part of the Earth where life exists
ecosystem
all the living populations along with the nonliving factors of the environment
ecology
the study of interactions with each other and the environment
species
a group of organisms that can mate and produce offspring
population
all of the members of a species living at a particular place at a particular time
community
all of the populations sharing a specific area
limiting factor
condition or resource that keeps a population at a certain size
niche
the special role an organism plays in the habitat
competition
occurs when more than one individual or population tries to make use of the same limited resource
predator
kills and eats other animals (prey)
prey
organisms that are killed and eaten by another animal (predator)
producers
organisms that make their own food
consumers
organisms that get their food by eating other organisms
herbivores
organisms that eat plants only
carnivores
organisms that eat meat only
omnivores
organisms that eat both meat and plants
scavengers
organisms that eat the remains left behind by other organisms (crows)
decomposers
organisms that feed on decaying organisms, returning nutrients to the soil
food chain
traces the path of energy as it moves from one organism to another
food web
overlapping food chains
energy pyramid
shows how energy is lost as it moves through the food chain