TR.VOCAB.5A
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
2009
Word
1. 10% rule
Definition
Only 10% of the available energy from one trophic
level transfers up to the next
Word Part
2. abiotic factor
Non-living factor in an ecosystem
A=not,
bio=living
3. acid rain
Precipitation with a pH less than 7
4. autotroph
An organism that makes its own food. Ex: plants,
algae and types of bacteria
Auto=self,
troph=feeding
5. biomass
Amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
Bio=living
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6. biome
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
Group of ecosystems that have the same climate and
Bio=living
dominant communities
7. biotic factor
A living component of an ecosystem
8. carbon
Element that is the basis of all life on Earth
9. carbon cycle
The route carbon travels through the environment,
includes the cyclic relationship between
photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Increase in
CO2 due to burning of fossil fuels
10. carnivore
Meat eater
11. carrying
capacity
Largest number of organisms a given environment
can support
Bio=living
Carne=meat,
vor=eat
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12. commensalism
2009
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
Symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits
Commensal=
and the other is not affected
eating at the
same table
13. community
Different populations living together in a given area
14. competition
When organisms compete for limited resources like
space, food, and water
15. consumer
An organism that obtains its energy from eating
plants or animal, heterotroph
16. decomposer
Organism that breaks down and obtains nutrients
from dead organic matter; heterotroph. Examples:
bacteria and fungi
17. deforestation
Destruction of forests
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18. ecology
2009
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
The study of interactions between organisms and
Eco=home
their environment
19. energy
A source of usable power (sun,ATP, glucose); moves
in one direction in the ecosystem
20. energy pyramid
Diagram showing how 10% of the energy transfers
from one trophic level to the next, amount of
available energy decreases as you go up the pyramid
21. food chain
Series of steps in an ecosystem where organisms
transfer energy by eating and being eaten
22. food web
Complex diagram showing all possible food chains
and feeding relationships in an ecosystem
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23. global warming
2009
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
Increase in average temperatures on Earth
24. habitat
An area where an organism lives, including all
abiotic and biotic factors
25. herbivore
Plant eater
Herb=plants,
vore=eat
26. heterotroph
An organism that cannot make its own food; a
consumer or decomposer in a food chain
Hetero=
different,
trohph=feed
27. host
Organism in which a parasite lives in or on
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28. limiting factor
2009
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
Nutrient in an ecosystem that can be depleted,
prevents population growth of organisms in an
ecosystem
29. mutualism
Symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit
30. niche
An organism’s role in an ecosystem (producer,
consumer, heterotroph, etc)
31. nitrogen
Element required in living things to build muscle and
speed up reactions
32. nitrogen cycle
The path N follows through an ecosystem including
the conversion of nitrogen gas into usable nitrates by
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
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33. omnivore
2009
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
Organism that eats both plants and animals
Omni=all,
vore=eat
34. ozone depletion
The breaking up of O3 gas in the atmosphere that
blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation
35. parasitism
Symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits
and the other is (usually) harmed
36. pollution
Harmful materials that could enter into the land, air,
or water
37. population
Group of individuals of the same species living
together in a given area
38. predator
An organism that captures and feeds on another
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39. prey
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
Organism that gets caught and eaten by the predator
40. primary
succession
When species first inhabit an area where no soil
exists
42. producer
An organism that makes its own food; examples:
plant, algae or autotrophic bacteria
43. scavenger
An organism that feeds on decaying organic matter
44. secondary
succession
Pattern of species replacement following a
disturbance in an established ecosystem without
disturbing the soil
45. species
Group of similar organisms that can breed and
produce fertile offspring
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46. symbiosis
ECOLOGY UNIT VOCABULARY CHART
A close association between organisms of two or
Sym=together,
more species
bios=living
47. transpiration
Loss of water from a plant through its leaves
48. trophic level
A group of organisms that occupy the same position
in a food chain.
49. water cycle
Pathway water follows through the ecosystem
includes condensation, precipitation, run-off,
seepage, evaporation and transpiration
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Troph=feed
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