Download Ecology Vocab

Ecology Vocab
What is Ecology?
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Ecology- The relationship between organisms
and its environment.
It is made up of an ecosystem that contains
communities consisting of biotic and abiotic
factors that make up populations within that
ecosystem.
Population- all the members of one
species in an area
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Community- a group of plants and
animals living and interacting together
with one another in a specific area.
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Ecosystem- all the members of a
community plus the abiotic factors
influencing one another
Biotic- an organism that is living or was
once living
Abiotic- nonliving factors of an
environment
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Organism- any individual living thing,
whether it is a plant or animal
Climax Community- a community of
plants and animals that reach a stable
equilibrium
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Biomes- Global habitats determined by
temperature and rainfall.
-based on types of plants
-they have specific characteristics
Ecotones- the overlapping of boundaries
and blending of different biomes
Biomes
1. Tundra
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Treeless biome that is covered by a surface soil,
underneath it is frozen.
Plants and animals that live here must be
adapted to cold temperatures, little vegetation
grows here.
2. Temperate Deciduous Forest
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Warm winters and long summers
Trees lose their leaves and change colors
Rich soil and lots of vegetation
3. Desert
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Dry and very hot during the day, can
become very cold at night
Less than 25cm of rain per year
Plants and animals must conserve water
4. Savanna
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Tropical or subtropical grasslands with scattered
trees or shrubs
Plants and animals must deal with drought
(Lion King)
5. Taiga
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Forested area which contains conebearing evergreens (pines and spruce)
Plants and animals must adapt to cold
long winters
6. Temperate Grasslands
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Mostly grass with little rainfall, which
doesn’t allow for many trees to grow
Soil is rich and is always producing
vegetation
7. Tropical Rainforest
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Stable year round growing and abudent rainfall
Trees form a canopy that shades the forest floor
Largest species richness of all biomes
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Life Zone- a way to describe an area that
has similar plant and animal communities.
Biotic Community -a group of
interdependent organisms in the same
habitat interacting with one another.
Climate -the “average’ weather
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Herbivore -an organism that eats only
plants
Carnivore -an organism who eats mostly
meats
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Omnivore -an organism who eats
meat and plants equally
Decomposer -breaks down dead and
decaying plants and animals
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Food Web- shows how plants and
animals are connected in many
different ways
Trophic Level-position in the food
chain determined by the energy
transfer of that organism
Food Chain-shows how plants and
animals are connected by a linear
(single) pathway.
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Producers- plants that provide food for
herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores
Primary Consumer- 2nd trophic level that is
made up of herbivores and bacteria/fungi.
Secondary Consumers- 3rd trophic level
that is made up of secondary carnivores
and omnivores
Tertiary Consumers- 4th trophic level that
is made up of primary carnivores (larger
animals)