Ecology Study Guide

Mutualism

• Symbiotic relationship where both species benefit

• One species benefits while the other is harmed

• Both species are harmed in the relationship

• One species is unaffected while the other is benefited

Secondary Consumer

• Carnivore that eats herbivores

• Herbivore that eats plants

• Omnivore that eats both plants and animals

• Producer that creates energy from sunlight

Habitat

• Natural environment where an organism lives

• A type of food chain

• A method of reproduction

• A form of camouflage

Community

• A group of similar organisms living together

• Different organisms living in the same area

• A single species in a habitat

• The physical environment where organisms live

Heterotroph

• Organism that produces its own food through photosynthesis

• Organism that consumes other organisms for energy

• Organism that decomposes organic material

• Organism that relies on inorganic substances for energy

Trophic Level

• Position an organism occupies in a food chain

• The number of species in an ecosystem

• The energy transfer efficiency between levels

• The total biomass of an ecosystem

Commensalism

• Symbiotic relationship where one benefits, other unaffected

• Both species benefit from the relationship

• One species is harmed while the other benefits

• Both species are harmed in the relationship

Parasitism

• Symbiotic relationship where one benefits, other is harmed

• Mutual relationship where both species benefit

• Commensal relationship where one benefits and the other is unaffected

• Predatory relationship where one species hunts the other

Ecosystem

• Community of living organisms and their environment

• A type of biome with no living organisms

• A collection of non-living elements

• A system of energy flow in the atmosphere

Biodiversity

• Variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem

• The number of species in a specific area

• The total biomass of organisms in an ecosystem

• The genetic variation within a species