Basic Ecological Concepts

Basic Ecological Concepts

• Biosphere: The part of Earth where all life exists.
• Ecosystem: A community of living things and their environment.
• Biotic: All living things in an environment.
• Abiotic: All non-living things in an environment.
• Habitat: The natural environment where a living thing lives and grows.
• Population: A group of the same species living in a specific area.
• Community (Biology): A group of different species living and interacting in the same area.
• Decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead plants and animals.
• Scavenger: An animal that eats dead plants and animals.
• Collaboration: Different species or organisms working together for mutual benefit.
• Mating: The process where organisms reproduce.
• Competition: Organisms fighting for resources like food, space, or mates.
• Symbiosis: A close relationship between two different organisms, often with benefits.
• Mutualism: A type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit.
• Commensalism: One organism benefits, while the other is unaffected.
• Parasitism: One organism benefits at the expense of the other.
• Predation: When one organism hunts and eats another.
• Trophic Levels: The energy flow stages in a food chain.
• Producer: An organism that makes its own food (usually through photosynthesis).
• First Consumer: An organism that eats producers (e.g., a rabbit).
• Second Consumer: An organism that eats primary consumers (e.g., a fox eating a rabbit).
• Third Consumer: An organism that eats secondary consumers (e.g., a hawk eating a snake).
• Tertiary Predator: Top predators that eat secondary consumers.
• Apex Predator: Top animals with no natural predators.
• Biomass: The total mass of living organisms in a given ecosystem area.
• Carnivore: An animal that eats other animals.
• Herbivore: An animal that eats plants.
• Omnivore: An animal that eats both plants and animals.
• Organism: Any living thing (e.g., plants, animals, microorganisms).
• Energy Pyramid: A diagram showing energy flow in an ecosystem.
• Energy Transfer: The movement of energy between organisms.
• Energy Flow: The movement of energy through an ecosystem.

Ecological Relationships

• Predation – predator feeding on prey
• Competition – organisms compete for resources
• Symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism) – relationships between organisms
• Food Chains and Food Webs – linking organisms through energy transfer