Transcript Slide 1

Ecology & the
Environment
Ecology
Study of the interactions that take place
among organisms and their
environment.
Chapter 20
Biotic
Living parts of the
environment; plants animals
& microorganisms
Chapter 20
Abiotic
Non-living parts of the
environment; water, air, light,
rocks
Chapter 20
Consumer
Organism that cannot create energyrich molecules (glucose) but obtains
its food by eating other organisms
Chapter 20
Producer
An organism, such as a plant or alga,
which produces glucose from carbon
dioxide by photosynthesis and is a
source of food for other organisms
Chapter 20
Carnivore
Animals who hunt and eat other
animals; meat eater
Chapter 20
Omnivore
An organism that eats both plants and
animals
Chapter 20
Herbivore
An animal that eats plants
Chapter 20
Food Chain
The relationship between plants and
animals that shows who eats what.
Energy is transferred from one
organism to another through the food
chain
Chapter 20
Food Web
A model of feeding relationships,
describing the connections among all
food chains within an ecosystem
Chapter 20
Energy Pyramid
A representation of the loss of useful
energy at each step in a food chain
Chapter 20
Pyramid of
Numbers
Based on the number of organisms
needed to make a simple food chain.
Shows how large populations of certain
organisms are needed to support very
small populations of other organisms.
Chapter 20
Symbiosis
An interactive association between two
or more species living together; may
be parasitic, commensal, or
mutualistic. The relationship between
two organisms
Chapter 20
Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship in which one
species benefits and the other is not
affected
Chapter 20
Parasitism
A form of symbiosis in which the
population of one species benefits at
the expense of the population of
another species
Chapter 20
Mutualism
A symbiotic interaction between two
species in which both derive some
benefit
Chapter 20
Competition
One of the biological interactions that
can limit population growth; occurs
when two species vie with each other
for the same resource
Chapter 20
Population
All the organisms that belong to the
same species living in a community
Chapter 20
Community
All the populations of different species
that live in an ecosystem
Chapter 20
Habitat
Place where an organism lives and that
provides the types of food, shelter,
moisture, and temperature needed for
survival
Chapter 20
Niche
An organism’s place in the ecosystem: where
it lives, what it consumes, what consumes
it, and how it interacts with all biotic and
abiotic factors. A unique ecological role of
an organism in a community.
Chapter 20
Organism
Any living thing
Chapter 20
Biosphere
Part of Earth that supports life,
including the top portion of Earth's
crust, the atmosphere, and all the
water on Earth's surface
Chapter 20
Ecosystem
All the living organisms that live in an
area and the nonliving features of
their environment
Chapter 20
Limiting Factor
Anything that can restrict the size of a
population, including living and
nonliving features of an ecosystem,
such as predators or drought
Chapter 20
Carrying Capacity
Largest number of individuals of a
particular species that an ecosystem
can support over time
Chapter 20
Biotic Potential
The maximum reproductive rate of an
organism, given unlimited resources
and ideal environmental conditions
Chapter 20
Exponential Growth
Growth of a population without any
constraints; therefore, the population
will grow at an ever-increasing rate
Chapter 20
Photosynthesis
The chemical reaction in which green
plants combine water and carbon
dioxide in the presence of sunlight to
form glucose and oxygen
Chapter 20
Predator
An animal that kills and eats other
animals
Chapter 20
Prey
An animal that is killed and eaten by
another animal
Chapter 20