ecology: the study of the interactions among living things, and between living things and their

surroundings.
community: a group of different species that live tho get her in one area.
ecosystem: includes all of the organisms as well as the climate, soil, water, rocks, and other non
living things in a given area.
biome: a major regional or global community of organisms. usually characterized by the climate
conditions and plant communities that thrive there.

biotic factors: living things, such as, plants, animals, fungi, or bacteria.
abiotic factors: non living thing, such as, moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, and soil. the
balance of these factors determine which living things can survive in a particular
environment.
biodiversity: the assortment of living things in an ecosystem.
keystone species: a species that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem.

producers: organisms that get their energy from non living resources, meaning they make their own
food. producers are also known as autotrophs (self nourishment)
consumer: organisms that get their energy by eating other living or once-living resources, such as
plants or animals. consumers are also known as heterotrophs (different).
chemosynthesis: the process by which an organism forms carbohydrates using chemicals rather than
light, as an energy source.

food chain: a sequence that links species by their feeding relationships.

herbivores: organisms that only eat plants
carnivores: organisms that only eat other animals.
omnivores: organisms that eat both plants and animals.
detritivores: organisms that eat detritus, or dead organic matter. i.e. millipede.
decomposers: detritivores that break down organic matter into simpler compounds. i.e. fungi
specialist: a consumer that primarily eats one specific organism or feeds on a very small number of
organisms.
generalists: consumers that have a varying diet.
tropic level: the levels of nourishments in a food chain. producer-herbivore-carnivore. for example:
primary consumers are herbivores, secondary consumers are carnivores that are
herbivores, and tertiary consumers are carnivores that eat secondary consumers.
food web: a model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships and the flow of energy
within and sometimes beyond an ecosystem.

hydrologic cycle: also known as the water cycle, is the circular pathway of water on Earth from the
atmosphere, to the surface, below ground, and back.
biogeochemical cycle: the movement of a particular chemical through the biological and geological, or
living and non living, parts of an ecosystem.
nitrogen fixation: a process that certain types of bacteria convert gaseous nitrogen into ammonia
(NH3)

biomass: a measure of the total dry mass of organisms in a given area. a great deal of energy is lost
during this process.
energy pyramid: a diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other
tropic levels. the pyramid illustrates how available energy is distributed among
trophic levels in an ecosystem.

habitat: can be described as all of the biotic and abiotic factors in the area where an organism lives.
ecological niche: composed of all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors that a species needs
to survive, stay healthy, and reproduce.
competitive exclusion: states that when two species are competing for the same resources, one
species will be better suited to the niche, and the other species will be pushed
into another niche or become extinct.
ecological equivalent: species that occupy similar niches but live in different geographical regions.

competition: occurs when two organisms fight fo rate same limited resources.
predation: the process by which one organism captures and feeds upon another organism.
symbiosis: a close ecological relationship between two or more organisms of different species that
live in direct contact with another.
mutualism: an interspecies interaction in which both organisms benefit from one another.
commensalism: a relationship between two organisms in which one receives an ecological benefit
from another, while the other neither benefits nor is harmed.
parasitism: a relationship similar to predation in that one organism benefits while the other is
harmed.

population density: a measurement of the number of individuals living in a defined space.

population dispersion: the way in which individuals of a population are spread in an area or a volume.
survivorship curve: a generalized diagram showing the number of surviving members over time from a
measured set of births.

immigration: the movement of individuals into a population from another population.

emigration: the movement of individuals out of a population and into another population.
density-dependent limiting factor: limiting factors that are affected bu the number of individuals in
a given area.
density-independent limiting factor: the aspects of the environment that limit a population’s growth
regardless of the density of the population.

succession: the sequence of biotic changes that regenerate a damaged community or create a
community in a previously uninhabited area.
primary succession: the establishment and development of an ecosystem in an area that was
previously uninhabited.
pioneer species: the first organisms that live in a previously uninhabited area.
secondary succession: the reestablished of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left
intact.

biosphere: the part of Earth where life exists.

biota: the collection of living things that live in the biosphere.
hydrosphere: all of Earth’s water, ice, and water vapor.
atmosphere: the air blanketing Earth’s solid and liquid surface.
geosphere: the features of Earth’s surface, such as, the continents, rocks, the sea floor, and
everything below Earth’s surface.

climate: the long-term pattern of weather conditions in a region

microclimate: the climate of a small specific place within a larger area.

canopy: uppermost branches of the trees

grassland: an area where the primary plant life is grass.
deciduous: trees that have adapted to winter temperatures by dropping their leaves and going
dormant during the cold season.
coniferous: trees that retain their needles all year.
taiga: also known as the boreal forest, is located in cooler climates.
tundra: located beyond the taiga in far northern latitudes. winter lasts as long as 10 months a year.
chaparral: also called the Mediterranean shrubland, characterized by its hot, dry summers and cool,
moist winters.

intertidal zone: the strip of land between the high and low tide lines.
neritic zone: extends from the intertidal zones out to the edge of the continental shelf.
bathyal zone: extends from the edge of the neritic zone to the bas elf the continental zone.
abyssal zone: lies below 2000 meters and is in complete darkness.
plankton: tiny free-floating organisms that live in water.
zooplankton: another term for animal plankton.
phytoplankton: photosynthetic plankton, which includes microscopic protists such as algae.
coral reefs: are found within the tropical climate zone.
kelp forests: exist in cold, nutrient-rich waters.

estuary: a partially enclosed body of water formed where a river flows into an ocean.
watershed: a region of land that drains into a river, river system, or another body of water.
littoral zone: freshwater, similar to the oceanic intertidal zone, located between the high and low
water marks along the shoreline.
limnetic zone: also called the pelagic zone, refers to the open water located farther out from shore.
has an abundance of plankton communities.
benthic zone: the lake or pond bottom, where less sunlight reaches. decomposers live here.