ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS / KEYWORDS

ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS / KEYWORDS
1.
ECOLOGY is the study of the interactions of living organisms with each other and with
their environment
2.
An ECOSYSTEM is an area that contains a community of organisms which interact with
their environment
3.
The BIOSPHERE is the part of the Earth and its atmosphere in which life can exist
4.
A HABITAT is the place where an organism lives
5.
A POPULATION is a group of organisms of the same species living in an area
6.
A COMMUNITY is made up of all the different populations that share resources in an
area
7.
ABIOTIC FACTORS are the non-living things that affect an ecosystem
8.
BIOTIC FACTORS are the living things that affect an ecosystem
9.
CLIMATIC FACTORS are the weather conditions that have an effect on living things in an
ecosystem
10. EDAPHIC FACTORS are the soil properties that have an effect on living things in an
ecosystem
11. NUTRIENT RECYCLING is the process of exchanging elements (like carbon and nitrogen)
between living organisms and the environment
12. The CARBON CYCLE is the process through which carbon is exchanged between living
organisms and the environment
13. The NITROGEN CYCLE is the process through which nitrogen is exchanged between
living organisms and the environment
14. NITROGEN FIXATION is the changing of nitrogen gas into nitrate
15. NITRIFICATION is the changing of ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate
16. DENITRIFICATION is the conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas
Ms. B. Fennessy
Loreto Secondary School
Fermoy
Co. Cork
ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS / KEYWORDS
17. A PRODUCER is a plant that makes its own food in photosynthesis
18. A CONSUMER is an organism that takes in food from another organism.
19. A PRIMARY CONSUMER feeds on a producer
20. A SECONDARY CONSUMER feeds on a primary consumer
21. A TERTIARY CONSUMER feeds on a secondary consumer
22. A HERBIVORE is an animal that feeds on plants only.
23. A CARNIVORE is an animal that feeds on animals only.
24. An OMNIVORE is an animal that feeds on both plants and animals.
25. A GRAZING FOOD CHAIN is a sequence of organisms in which each one is eaten by the
next member in the chain
26. TROPHIC LEVEL is the position of a species in a food chain
27. A PYRAMID OF NUMBERS shows the numbers of organisms at each trophic level in a
food chain
28. A FOOD WEB is two or more interlinked food chains
29. A NICHE is the functional role of an organism in an ecosystem
30. COMPETITION occurs when organisms actively struggle for a resource that is in short
supply
31. CONTEST COMPETITION is an active physical confrontation between two organisms
which allows one to win the resource
32. SCRAMBLE COMPETITION is where each organism tries to get as much of the resource
as possible.
Ms. B. Fennessy
Loreto Secondary School
Fermoy
Co. Cork
ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS / KEYWORDS
33. PREDATION is the catching, killing and eating of another organism
34. A PREDATOR is the animal that catches, kills and eats another organism
35. The PREY is the animal that is killed and eaten by a predator
36. PARASITISM is where one organism (the parasite) lives in or on another organism (the
host) causing it harm.
37. SYMBIOSIS is where two different organisms live in close association and at least one of
them benefits
38. MUTUALISM is where both organisms benefit in a symbiotic relationship
39. COMMENSALISM is where one organism benefits and the other is unharmed in a
symbiotic relationship
40. POPULATION DYNAMICS is the study of the factors that cause population numbers to
change
41. A QUALITATIVE SURVEY is a survey which indicates if a species is present or not
42. A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY is a survey which records or estimates the numbers of a
species (in a particular ecosystem).
43. FLORA is the plant life growing in a particular region
44. FAUNA is the animal life of a particular region
45. PERCENTAGE FREQUENCY is the chances of finding a given species in a habitat
46. PERCENTAGE COVER is the area of ground occupied by aerial plant parts
47. POLLUTION is any undesirable change in the environment
48. CONSERVATION is the wise management of our existing natural resources.
Ms. B. Fennessy
Loreto Secondary School
Fermoy
Co. Cork