Ecology Vocabulary

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

• Ecosystem

• Ecology

• Community

• Trophic Level

Group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

• population

• organism

• biome

• food chain

All of the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment

• Photosynthesis

• Biosphere

• Food web

• Ecosystem

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

• biosphere

• biome

• ecosystem

• population

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

• Biotic factors

• Abiotic factors

• Community

• Cell Respiration

Organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer

• photosynthesis

• ecosystem

• heterotroph

• autotroph

Organism that obtains food by consuming (eating) other living things; also called a consumer

• heterotroph

• autotroph

• scavenger

• food chain

Process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

• carnivore

• photosynthesis

• cell respiration

• species

Organism that obtains energy by eating animals

• herbivore

• carnivore

• producer

• population

Organism that obtains food by eating only plants

• omnivore

• carnivore

• herbivore

• producer