Ecology Concepts
This term describes the role of a living organism in an ecosystem, such as whether it’s a producer or consumer.
What is Ecology?
This type of organism makes its own food and is always at the bottom of the food chain.
What is a Producer?
These are factors in the environment that are not living, such as water, temperature, and sunlight.
What is Abiotic?
This term describes when an animal’s appearance helps it blend into its environment for protection.
What is Camouflage?
This is the continuous movement of water between the Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and bodies of water.
What is the Water Cycle?
This is the maximum number of organisms an environment can support based on available resources.
What is Carrying Capacity?
This organism gets energy by eating both plants and animals.
What is an Omnivore?
These are factors that come from living organisms, like plants, animals, and bacteria.
What is Biotic?
This is when one species closely resembles another for protection or to gain an advantage.
What is Mimicry?
This is the cycling of matter in ecosystems, where energy flows but matter is recycled.
What is Matter?
This process helps plants make their own food by using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
What is Photosynthesis?
This type of animal only eats plants.
What is a Herbivore?
This is an animal that feeds on dead or decaying matter.
What is a Decomposer?
These animals eat the remains of other animals that have died.
What is a Scavenger?
These types of organisms can be found at the top level of the energy pyramid, consuming secondary consumers.
What is a Tertiary Consumer?
This is the sequence of events where energy is passed through a series of organisms.
What is a Food Chain?
This type of consumer eats primary consumers.
What is a Secondary Consumer?
This term refers to organisms that hunt and kill other animals for food.
What is a Carnivore?
This type of animal sits at the top of a food chain and has no predators.
What is an Apex Predator?
This is the process where plants and other producers store energy in the form of food for other organisms.
What is Energy?
The process of plants breaking down nitrogen to make it usable for other organisms is called this.
What is the Nitrogen Cycle?
This term describes a network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.
What is a Food Web?
This term describes the breakdown of dead organisms into smaller components that return nutrients to the soil.
What is Decomposition?
This term refers to animals that work together to achieve a common goal, such as hunting or living in a group.
What is Cooperation?
This type of organism directly eats producers and is considered the first level of consumers in a food chain.
What is a Primary Consumer?