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Terrestrial: Having to do with the land or earth
Ecosystem: All the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with each other
Environment: Everything that surrounds an organism and influences it
Abiotic Factor: A nonliving part of an ecosystem
Biotic Factor: A living part of an ecosystem
Population: All the organisms of one species that live in an area at the same time
Habitat: The area in which an organism lives
Community: All the populations living in an area
Producer: an organism that can make its own food through the process of photosynthesis
Consumer: an organism that get its energy by eating other organisms
Decomposer: an organism that get its energy from breaking down decaying organic material; the role of the decomposers is the recycling of nutrients throughout the ecosystem
adaptation: a change in order to fit in a new situation or use
biodiversity: a wide variety of organisms
carnivore: a consumer which gets its energy by eating only meat/animal flesh
consumer: an organism that gets it energy by eating other organisms
fertile: rich in nutrients; often used to describe soil
forest: an area of land densely populated with trees
grassland: a large, flat area of land which is mostly populated by tall grasses and few trees
herbivore: a consumer which gets it energy by eating only plants and vegetation
omnivore: a consumer which gets it energy by eating both plants and meat/animal flesh
producer: an organism that can make its own food through the process of photosynthesis
Photosynthesis: The process in which plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to create sugar for themselves for food/energy
decomposer: An organism that gets its energy from breaking down decaying organic material; the role of decomposers is recycling nutrients throughout the ecosystem
Aquatic: Having to do with water
predator: An organism that hunts and eats other organisms for energy
prey: An organism that is hunted and eaten
Food Chain: Shows how energy is passed on from one living thing to the next. The arrow always points to the organism doing the eating.
Food web: Shows the feeding habits of different animals that live together in an ecosystem. A food web is made up of many different food chains. The arrow always points to the organism doing the eating.
Interdependence: In an ecosystem, plants and animals depend on each other, as well as other nonliving things.
symbiotic relationship: is one where two organisms of two DIFFERENT species interact.
Mutualism - “Good for me, good for you!” When two organisms interact and their relationship benefits BOTH of them, it is mutualism
Commensalism - “Good for me, doesn’t bother you!” In this type of relationship, two species have a relationship where one species is getting something good out of it, while the other species is neither bothered or helped by the relationship.
Parasitism - “Good for me, bad for you!” In this type of relationship, one species gets something good out of it, while the other is harmed in some way.
Adaptation- either a body part, a body covering, or a behavior that an animal has or does in order to survive in its environment.
Behavioral adaptation- something the animal DOES (or the way it behaves) to protect itself from predators and environmental factors. Some behavioral adaptations are learned, while others are instinctual, meaning that the animal is born knowing how to do it.
physical adaptation-something that the animal HAS on its body that allows it to protect itself from predators and environmental factors. Fur, claws, and sharp teeth are all examples
Model-a representation of objects or processes that look like or help explain the real thing
Germination-process by which seed swell up and begin to sprout and develop
Terrarium-a closed glass or plastic container in which terrestrial organisms can live and be observed
Aquarium-a glass or plastic container in which aquatic organisms can live and be observed
Radiation-a way that energy is transferred from Sun to Earth
Dependent Relationships-relying on another for example, plants rely on the sun for light
Variable- the part of an experiment that is changed or tested
Fair test-changing only one variable in an experiment
Control-the part of the experiment that is not changed