Ecology Basics
The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment
Ecology
The layer of gases around Earth
Atmosphere
The number of individuals in a population per unit area
Population density
A limiting factor that depends on population densit
Density-dependent limiting factor
An organism that makes its own food
Autotroph
A group of the same species living in the same area
Population
All the water on Earth
Hydrosphere
When individuals move INTO a population
Immigration
When one organism kills and eats another
Predation
The process plants use to make food from sunlight
Photosynthesis
All the different populations living together in an area
Community
The rocky, solid part of Earth
Geosphere
When individuals move OUT of a population
Emigration
When an organism feeds on plants
Herbivory
An organism that eats other organisms for energy
An organism that eats other organisms for energy
All the living AND nonliving things in an area
Ecosystem
The part of Earth where all life exists
Biosphere
The type of growth happens when resources are unlimited
Exponential growth
A limiting factor that affects all populations no matter the density
Density-independent limiting factor
An animal that eats only plants called
Herbivore
Put these in order from smallest to largest: ecosystem, species, community, population
Species, population, community, ecosystem
System that provides water for living things
Hydrosphere
The maximum number of individuals an environment can support
Carrying capacity
One example of a density-independent limiting factor
A natural disaster, hurricane, fire, or flood
An organism that breaks down dead matter and returns nutrients to the soil
Decomposer