Abiotic Factors
Nonliving things in an
ecosystem and may be
chemical or physical
Adaptation
A trait that helps an
organism survive in a
particular enviroment
Biodiversity
The variety of species
found on Earth's
terrestrial and oceanic
ecosystems
Biosphere
the part of the earth's
crust, waters, and
atmosphere that
supports life.
Biotic Factor
A living part of an
ecosystem
Biotic Factors
All of the living
components of an
ecosystem
Carbon Cycle
The movement of
carbon among living
organisms, the air, and
the ground
Commensalism
a symbiotic relationship in
which one organism benefits
and the other neither
benefits nor is harmed
Community
All the populations
of organisms in an
ecosystem
Competition
An interaction that
occurs when organisms
try to get the same
resources
Constant
Not changing or
varying; uniform;
regular; invariable:
Consumer
An organism that does
not make its own food
and gets energy from
other organisms
Decomposer
An organism that gets
energy by breaking down
dead organisms and the
wastes of living things
Decomposition
The process in which
dead organisms are
broken down
Density
The ratio of mass to
volume of a
substance
Dependent
Relying on someone
or something else
for aid, support, etc.
Ecosystem
All the living and nonliving
parts of an ecosystem as
well as the interactions
among them
Enviroment
An organism's
surroundings
Food Chain
A series of organisms in
which each feeds on the
one at the next lower
trophic level
Food Web
A network of
interconnected food
chains
Habitat
The place where an
organism lives
Heterotroph
An organism that does
not make its own food
and gets energy from
other organisms
Host
A living animal or plant
from which a parasite
obtains nutrition.
Independent
Not influenced or controlled
by others in matters of
opinion, conduct, etc.;
thinking or acting for oneself
Microorganism
A living thing that
cannot be seen
without a microscope
Mutualism
Natural Selection
Nitogen Cycle
Nitrogen Fixation
Parasite
A symbolic relationship
between two organisms
in which both organisms
benefit
The process by which
organisms that are the best
suited to a particular
enviroment survive and
reproduce most successfully
The movement of
nitrogen among living
organisms, the air, and
the ground
The process that converts
nitrogen in the atmosphere
into compounds in the soil
that are useful to a variety of
organisms
An organism that lives in
or on another organism
and benefits at the other
organism's expense
Parasitism
A symbiotic relationship
in which one organism
benefits and the other is
harmed
Pathogen
A microorganism
that causes disease
Photosynthesis
The process by which the cells
of plants and some other
organisms use the energy of
sunlight to make their own
food
Population
A group of organisms of
the same species living
in the same place
Predation
A relationship in which
one animal hunts, kills,
and eats another
Predator
An animal that hunts
and kills other
animals for food
Prey
An animal that is
hunted by other
animals for food
Producer
An organism that
makes its own food;
an autotroph
Sun
The ultimate source
of energy
Symbiosis
A close relationship
between two different
species of organisms
living together