5th Period Ecology Vocabulary

Coach Andrews

Chandler

• Top Predator– Predator who has no natural enemies.

• Pioneer Species– Species of plants that grow on rocks that are the

first to inhabit a new ecosystem• Secondary Consumer– Animal that eats primary consumers

• Tertiary Consumer– Carnivore that eats a secondary consumer

Bran

• Heterotroph– Organism that cannot fix carbon, relies on other food for energy

• Food Web– Feeding connections in ecological communities

• Producer– Makes its own food

• Consumer– Organism that generally obtains food by feeding on other

organisms• Trophic level

– All organisms in a position in a food chain

Heather

• Herbavore– Feeds only on plants

• Carnivore– Feeds only on animals

• Omnivore– Feeds on plants and animals

• Decomposer– Breaks down dead plants and animals

• Detrivore– Heterotroph that obtains nutrients by consuming detrites

(dead things)

Sam

• Symbiosis– Interactions between two different organisms

• Limiting Factors– Factors that control a process such as organism growth.

• Carrying capacity– Living things that an area can support with out environmental

degradation.• Commensalism

– 1 organism benefits, the other is unaffected• Mutualism

– 2 organisms benefit off each other.

Trenton

• Predation– Preying of one animal on others

• Parasitism– Relationship between two organism in which one benefits and

the other is hurt.• Abiotic factors

– Non living factors• Autotroph

– Organism that can make its own food• Biotic Factors

– Living factors

Lanie

• Primary Succession– Colonization of barren land by a pioneer species

• Secondary Succession– Sequence of changes that take place after a natural

disaster or human act• Ecosystem Stability– Refers to the capability of an ecosystem to sustain a

food chain• Bio Mass– Total mass or weight of all living matter in a given area