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Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Ecology
An assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area
Community
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Population
A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
species
Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere
Biosphere
organisms that use energy from the sun or energy stored in chemical compounds to manufacture their own nutrients
Autotrophs
any nonliving factor in an organism's environment, such as sunlight, soil, water, temperature, and light availability
Abiotic factor
Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact
biotic factors
A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms
Biome
all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment
Ecosystem
the first producers of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms
Primary producers
Captures light energy and uses it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
Photosynthesis
process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates
Chemosynthesis
An organism that cannot make its own food.
Heterotroph
organism that obtains energy by eating animals
Carnivore
A consumer that eats only plants
Herbivore
a consumer that feeds on dead or decaying material
scavenger
An animal that eats both plants and animals
Omnivore
feed by chemically breaking down organic matter
Decomposer
feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
Detritivore
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Food chain
A mixture of floating algae that are primary producers
Phytoplankton
process in which fixed nitrogen compounds are converted back into nitrogen gas and returned to the atmosphere
Denitrification
single essential nutrient that limits productivity in an ecosystem
limiting nutrient
process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
biogeochemical cycle