Non-living factor in an
ecosystem
Only 10% of the
available energy from
one trophic level
transfers up to the next
An organism that makes its
own food. Ex: plants,
algae and types of bacteria
Precipitation with a pH
less than 7
Group of ecosystems that
have the same climate and
dominant communities
Amount of living tissue
within a given trophic
level
2009
212
Biology Reteaching Resource
Element that is the basis of
all life on Earth
A living component of
an ecosystem
Meat eater
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
Symbiotic relationship
where one organism
benefits and the other is
not affected
Largest number of
organisms a given
environment can support
2009
213
Biology Reteaching Resource
When organisms compete
for limited resources like
space, food, and water
Different populations
living together in a given
area
Organism that breaks
down and obtains nutrients
from dead organic matter;
heterotroph. Examples:
bacteria and fungi
An organism that obtains
its energy from eating
plants or animal;
heterotroph
The study of interactions
between organisms and
their environment
Destruction of forests
2009
214
Biology Reteaching Resource
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
A source of usable
power (sun, ATP,
glucose); moves in one
direction in the
ecosystem
Complex diagram showing
all possible food chains
and feeding relationships
in an ecosystem
Series of steps in an
ecosystem where
organisms transfer
energy by eating and
being eaten
An area where an
organism lives, including
all abiotic and biotic
factors
Increase in average
temperatures on Earth
2009
215
Biology Reteaching Resource
An organism that cannot
make its own food; a
consumer or decomposer
in a food chain
Plant eater
Nutrient in an ecosystem
that can be depleted,
prevents population
growth of organisms in an
ecosystem
Organism in which a
parasite lives in or on
An organism’s role in an
ecosystem (producer,
consumer, heterotroph,
etc.)
Symbiotic relationship in
which both species
benefit
2009
216
Biology Reteaching Resource
The path N follows
through an ecosystem
including the conversion of
nitrogen gas into usable
nitrates by nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
Element required in
living things to build
muscle and speed up
reactions
The breaking up of O3 gas
in the atmosphere that
blocks harmful ultraviolet
radiation
Organism that eats both
plants and animals
Harmful materials that
could enter into the land,
air, or water
Symbiotic relationship
where one organism
benefits and the other is
(usually) harmed
2009
217
Biology Reteaching Resource
An organism that captures
and feeds on another
Group of individuals of
the same species living
together in a given area
When species first inhabit
an area where no soil
exists
Organism that gets
caught and eaten by the
predator
An organism that feeds on
decaying organic matter
An organism that makes
its own food; examples:
plant, algae or
autotrophic bacteria
2009
218
Biology Reteaching Resource
Group of similar
organisms that can breed
and produce fertile
offspring
Pattern of species
replacement following a
disturbance in an
established ecosystem
without disturbing the
soil
Loss of water from a plant
through its leaves
A close association
between organisms of
two or more species
Pathway water follows
through the ecosystem
includes condensation,
precipitation, run-off,
seepage, evaporation and
transpiration
2009
A group of organisms that
occupy the same position in a
food chain.
219
Biology Reteaching Resource