Ecology and Ecosystems Flashcards

Grade 10 · Science · Flashcards

Review essential vocabulary for ecology, ecosystems, and environmental interactions.

Flashcards

Ecology: The scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Ecosystem: All the living organisms and nonliving components in a defined area and their interactions.
Biotic factor: Any living component of an ecosystem — plants, animals, fungi, bacteria.
Abiotic factor: Any nonliving component of an ecosystem — temperature, water, light, soil, wind.
Producer (autotroph): Organism that converts sunlight or chemical energy into food; forms the base of food chains.
Consumer (heterotroph): Organism that must eat other organisms to obtain energy.
Decomposer: Organism (fungi, bacteria) that breaks down dead matter, recycling nutrients into the ecosystem.
Food web: A network diagram showing all the feeding relationships among species in an ecosystem.
10% rule: Only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next; 90% is lost as heat.
Carrying capacity: The maximum population size a habitat can sustain with available resources.
Biodiversity: The variety of species and genetic diversity in an ecosystem; improves stability and resilience.
Symbiosis: A close, long-term relationship between two species; includes mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.