|
Term |
Definition |
|
abiotic |
Describing a non-living component of an
environment containing organisms; also called inorganic |
|
autotroph |
An organism that produces food molecules
inorganically by using light by photosynthesis. This organism
does not require outside sources of organic food energy for survival.
Autotrophs are primary producers in all food webs. |
| biome |
A
region subjected to and affected by a common set of climatic
conditions, like a tropical rain forest or a tundra |
|
biota |
Animal and plant life of a region |
|
biotic |
Describing a living thing |
| carnivore |
An organism that
consumes living animals or parts of living animals |
|
commensalism |
Relationship between two species in which
only one species benefits whereas the other is unaffected |
|
consumer |
An organism that eats other organisms for
food. Also called heterotrophs, different kinds of comsumers
include carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores |
|
decomposer |
An organism that feeds on dead material
or excrement, breaking down complex organic compounds into simple
organic or inorganic ones that are then available to enter the
food web as nutrients |
|
dissolved
oxygen |
Microscopic bubbles of oxygen gas in a solution |
|
ecosystem |
All of the interactions between living and
non-living entities within a community |
|
estuary |
River mouth entering
the sea where fresh water and salt water mix and where tidal
effects are felt. It usually contains abundant life forms. |
|
food chain |
Single path taken
as different organisms consume other organisms for energy |
|
food web |
Interaction of all of the food chains in
a particular habitat to form a complex feeding system. This is
different from a food chain in that an organism may have multiple
food sources instead of only one. |
|
habitat |
A localized area within a biome that is
usually a home to (an) organism(s), like a freshwater pond or
a woodland |
|
herbivore |
An organism that consumes
plants or photoplankton for energy; also known as a primary consumer |
|
heterotroph |
Any living organism
that obtains its energy from organic substances produced by other
organisms |
|
host |
A living organism
that is being fed on by another organism (called the parasite) |
|
inorganic |
Matter other than plant or animal; inorganic
matter is not alive and may not contain carbon; sometimes called
abiotic |
|
mutualism |
Association between
two organisms of different species whereby both benefit from
the relationship; also called symbiosis |
|
omnivore |
An organism that eats
both plants and animals |
|
organic |
Relating to or derived
from an organism |
|
organism |
A living individual
plant, animal, fungus, protist, archebacterium, or enbacterium |
|
parasite |
An organism that feeds
on or in another organism (called the host) |
|
pH |
Scale from 0-14 used
to measure the alkalinity or acidity of a substance; 7 is neutral,
below 7 is acid, and above 7 is alkaline |
|
predator |
A consumer organism
that feeds on prey |
|
prey |
An organism that is
consumed by a predator |
|
primary
consumer |
An organism that occupies
the second trophic level in a food chain; these organisms are
herbivores and feed directly on producers |
|
producer |
Organisms, such as plants or photoplankton,
that produce their own food; also called autotrophs |
|
salinity |
Concentration of dissolved
salts found in a sample of water; measured as total amount of
dissolved salts in parts per thousand |
|
scavenger |
An organism that feeds
on dead organisms |
| trophic level |
Position occupied
by a species or group of species in a food chain |
|
turbidity |
A measure of the cloudiness
of water caused by suspended particles |
