Ecosystem
includes all the living and nonliving arts of an environment as well as the interactions among them
Biotic factors
living parts of an ecosystem
Abiotic factors
nonliving parts of an ecosystem
habitat
the place where an organism lives, supplies all the biotic and abiotic factors needed to survive
Niche
How the organism acts withing its ecosystem
Species
a gruoup of organisms that share most characteristics and can breed with one another
Population
all the organisms of a species that live in the same place at the same time
Community
made up of all the populations that live in an area at the same time
field study
a scientific investigation carried out in a natural setting
producer
an organism that makes its own food
autotroph
producers
photosynthesis
uses light energy to combine carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose and oxygen
consumers
organisms that cannot make their own food
heterotrophs
consumers (an decomposers)
decomposers
an organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms and the wastes of living things
trophic level
each feeding level of an ecosystem
food chain
a series of organisms in which each feeds on the one at the next lower level
food web
a network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem
decomposition
breaking down of dead organisms (by bacteria and other decomposers)
carbon cycles
carbon moves among the air, the ground, and plants and animals
nitrogen fixation
a natural process that converts nitrogen from the atmosphere into forms that are useful to a variety of organisms
denitrification
takes nitrogen from nitrates and other compounds in the soil and releases it as nitrogen gas
evaporation
the process by which liquid changes to gas
water cycle
the continuous movement of water between Earth's surface and its atmosphere
transpiration
water vapor is released through tiny openings in plant leaves
condensation
the process by which gas changes to a liquid
precipitation
water that falls to Earth's surface int he form of rain, snow, sleet or hail
groundwater
water located below earth's surface
runoff
water that flows over the land without sinking into the ground
coexist
organisms that live int he same habitat but rely on different resources
cooperation
a helpful interaction among organisms living in a limited area
predation
relationship where one animal, hunts, kills and eats another
predator
animals that kill and eat other animals
prey
animals that are killed and eaten
symbiosis
a close relationship between 2 organisms that live together
mutualism
a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit
commensalism
a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits without helping or harming the other organism
parasite
an organism that lives on or in another organism and benefits at the other organism's expense
parasitism
the symbiotic relationship between a parasite and its host
mutualism
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