Download Ecology Vocabulary List #2

Ecology Vocabulary List #2
Name_______________________________
Date_____________________ Period_____
Directions:
Study and complete this entire ditto.
1. carrying capacity (noun)
Science definition: The largest population that an area can support.
Example: The carrying capacity of deer in Maryland is 3,000 deer, since there are not enough
resources to support anymore deer.
2. limiting factor (noun)
Science definition: A resource that is so scarce that it limits the size of a population
Example: Amount of food is a limiting factor. If there is not enough food, the population of
deer will decrease.
3. competition (noun)
Science definition: The result of a common demand by two or more organisms for limited
resources.
Example: Deer and rabbits both eat grass, therefore they are in competition for food.
4. producer (noun)
Science definition: An organism that makes its own food.
Example: Plants are producers because they use the sun’s energy to make their own food.
5. consumer (noun)
Science definition: Organisms that eat other organisms for food.
Example: Deer are consumers because they eat grass.
6. decomposer (noun)
Science definition: An organism that obtains energy from decaying organic matter.
Example: Mushrooms are decomposers since they break down dead matter for energy.
7. natural resource (noun)
Science definition: Something from the natural environment that is used to meet an organism’s
needs and wants.
Example: Water is a natural resource for most organisms; they need it to survive.
8. food chain (noun)
Science definition: The feeding relationship of species that transfer energy through the
organisms of an ecosystem.
Example: The sun gives the plant energy to make food. When the rabbit eats the plant this
energy is transferred to the rabbit. When the snake eats the rabbit, the energy is transferred to the
snake. In this food chain, the snake is at the top.
9. food web (noun)
Science definition: The complex interconnection of food chains in an ecosystem.
Example: The sun
plant
rabbit
snake food chain, along with all the other food
chains in the ecosystem, all make up the food web for that ecosystem.
10. species (noun)
Science definition: Organisms whose members are alike and successfully reproduce among
themselves to produce fertile offspring.
Example: There are many different species of wild cats, including lions, tigers, and bobcats.
Vocabulary Application
The barn owl is a __________________________________ of owl whose members are alike. In
Maryland, the ___________________________________ for the population of barn owls is
7,000. Space is a _____________________________________ that is becoming so scarce that
it is limiting the size of the barn owl population. Since barn owls and other birds both need
space, they are in constant _________________________________ for this limited resource.
Trees are _____________________________________ since they are used to meet the owl’s
needs for shelter. Since they make their own food, trees are _____________________________.
Owls are _______________________________ because they eat other organisms. When the
owl dies, a __________________________________ will break down the owl’s body and obtain
energy from it. The owl is part of a ___________________________________ that includes the
sun giving energy to plants, which are eaten by rabbits, which are eaten by owls. The
interconnection of this food chain with other food chains in the owl’s ecosystem is known as a
______________________________________.