organism
a living thing (plant, animal, bacteria)
population
a group of living things of the same species that live in the same area
community
all of the populations that live and interact in an area (animals, humans, plants, microscopic organisms)
ecosystem
a community and its abiotic environment
abiotic
non-living factors like air, temperature, water, and soil
biotic
living thing, plant, animal, bacteria
food web vs. food chain
the food web is more accurate than the food chain because with the food web, you can see multiple animals/plants that eat or are eaten by another, while the food chain just shows one organism eats one more, which eats another, which eats another, and so o
individual
Just ONE living thing
autotroph
An organism that makes its own food (producers/plants)
photosynthesis
the process by which producers make energy rich molecules (food) from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of light. Example: plants make their own food using sunlight, CO2 and water.
Energy
The ability to do work
Producers
organisms that are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis (ex: plants/autotrophs)
biomass
the mass of matter produced by organisms in an ecosystem
consumers
organisms that eat other organisms
herbivore
an organism that eats only plants. Also called primary consumers.
primary consumers
first level of consumer, eats only plants, also called herbivores
carnivore
eats meat, eats primary consumers. Also called secondary consumers.
secondary consumers
organisms that eat the consumers that eat the producers. Also called carnivores.
Tertiary consumers
Third level consumers, feed on secondary consumers. Examples: sharks, pelicans, polar bears.
Omnivores
have a diet of both producers (plants) and consumers (insects, animals).
Decomposers
break down or eat the remains of dead organisms and turn it into chemicals. Examples: bacteria, mushrooms, fungi
Trophic levels
functional role in a feeding relationship through which energy flows
Food web
all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem
reproduction
producing new individuals (young, children, offspring) to maintain the population or make it grow
reproduction potential
the theoretical unlimited growth of a population over time, ring in a clutch, the number of offspring, females vs. males
limiting factor
biotic or abiotic component (part) of the ecosystem that controls the size of the population. Examples: food supply
Predation
one way that populations are limited. Predators (consumers) eat prey (producers and other consumers)
calorie
a unit used to measure heat energy
heterotroph
an organism that cannot make its own food and must eat other organisms, consumers are heterotrophs
habitat
a place where an organism lives that supports its requirements for life
Jane Goodall
Studied chimpanzees in their own habitat and their interactions with each other
decomposer
an organism that consumes parts of dead organisms and converts all the biomass into simple
chemicals; bacteria, fungi returns nutrients to the earth
aerobic cellular respiration
a process by which organisms convert sugar into usable energy
One food Calorie (kilocalorie)
equal to 1,000 small calories.
One calorie
the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 mL of water 1? C.