1. Word
1. Producer
Definition
Makes its own food through
sunlight (plants)
2. Consumer
Eats other organisms for food
(animals)
3. Herbivore
Consumer that eats plants only
4. Carnivore
Consumer that eats other
animals
5. Omnivore
Consumer that eats plants and
animals

2. Word
Definition
6. Scavenger
Consumers that eat the bodies of
already-been-killed animals
7. Decomposer
Breaks down remains of dead
organisms
8. Food Chain A food chain shows how each living thing
gets its food
Each link in this chain is food for the next link. A
food chain always starts with plant life and ends
with an animal.
9. Food Web
A graphic that shows the organisms
that eat and get eaten in an
environment

3. Food Chains

4. Food Web

5. 10.
Energy
Pyramid
A graphic that shows the loss of
energy at every level in an
environment
Less energy
More energy

6. Word
Definition
10. Habitat
Environment where something
lives
11. Niche
An organism’s way of life in an
ecosystem, including habitat,
food, predators, and competition
12. Limiting
Factors
13. Carrying
Capacity
Anything that keeps a population
from growing too large. Ex: food,
living space, water
The largest population that a
given environment can support
over a long period of time

7. Word
Definition
14. Competition
When two or more individuals or
populations try to use the same limited
resource, such as food, water, shelter,
space, or sunlight
15. Ecology
The study of the environment and the
interactions of organisms in the
environment
16. Organism
Living thing
17. Population
A group of the same species living
together. Example: pride of lions,
Christmas tree farm

8. Word
18. Community
19. Ecosystem
Definition
A group of the different species (2
populations) living together. Example:
coral reef, forest floor
Living and non-living things in an area
Examples: forest with river and rocks,
coral reef with sand and water
20. Biosphere
The part of earth that supports living
organisms.
21. Biotic
Having to do with living things
22. Abiotic
Having to do with non-living things

9. Word
23. Autotroph
24.
Heterotroph
Definition
Another word for producer
Another word for consumer

10. Population ecology
1. Populations can be described according to
certain characteristics.
- size of population
- spacing (how organisms are arranged in a
given area)
- density – how many individuals there are in
a specific area

11. Population Density
2. The size of a population occupying an area of
a specific size is called population density
- the more individuals = more dense of a
population
- less individuals = less dense of a
population

12. Limiting Factors
3. Limiting factor – any biotic or abiotic factor
that restricts the number of individuals in a
population
- examples: food, temperature, living space,
other resources
- populations cannot grow uncontrolled
forever
- what affects one population can affect
others living in same area

13. Competition
4. Competition – contest among organisms to
obtain the resources they need to survive
and reproduce
- population density increases = increase in
competition

14. Carrying Capacity
5. Carrying capacity – the largest number of
individuals an environment can support and
maintain for a long period of time
- when this happens – some individual may
not be able to compete, and will die or have
to find another place to live

15. Biotic Potential
6. Biotic potential – the number of individuals
each female of a population can produce
under the best possible conditions
- plenty of food and shelter
- ideal weather, no disease or enemies
- populations never reach biotic potential in the
wild

16. 7. Niche and habitat
1. Niche – all of an organism’s relationships with its
environment (both biotic and abiotic factors)
a. Relationships with others, its offspring, time of
day its most active, and where it finds shelter
b. An organism’s “lifestyle” – how it contributes to
and fits into its environment
2. Habitat – the actual place an organism lives

17. Ecological Succession
1. Ecological Succession – process of gradual
change from one community of organisms to
another
Ex. Lakes~~ponds~~marshes~~swamps ~~dry
areas
Ex. Rock~~mosses~~ grasses~~ trees
2. Take place in a predictable order and involve
animals, plants and other organisms (and
abiotic factors)

18. Primary Succession
3. Primary succession - Ecological succession that
begins in a place that does not have soil
- new community – pioneer community – first
organisms that move into a new environment
- sunlight, temperature and moisture affect what
plants can live in a certain area (limiting factors)
- usually hardy organism that can survive drought,
extreme heat and cold and other harsh conditions
- change conditions in their entireness – support
new organisms to come

19. Secondary Succession
4. Succession that takes place that already has
soil and had living organisms is called
secondary succession
- after forest fire, natural disasters

20. Climax Communities
5. Climax Communities – when a community
has reached the final stage of ecological
succession
- species will remain the same as long as the
ecosystem does not change too drastically
- Examples: forest of redwoods