Terminology

Ecology is the study of interactions among living things, a ecosystem includes all the living organisms and other non-living things. Organisms is a living thing and a population is all the individuals of a species that live in one area. Biome means a major regional or global community or organisms, biotic factors are living things and abiotic factors are non-living things. Biodiversty is the assortment of living things, keystone species are species that have a large effect on its ecosystem. Producer/Autotrophs are organisms that get their energy from non-living things, but a Consumers/Hetertrophs get their energy from living things. Photosynthesis is a proces that uses plants an other organisms to convert light. Carnivore are organisms that only eat meat, herbivore only eat plants, omnivore eat both meat and plants, detritivore eat dead organisms, and decomposers are organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms into simple compounds to bring back to the environment. Specialist is a species that can only thrive in a narrow range of environment conditions, generalists are species that can thrive in a wide variety of environment conditions, a trophic level is level of nourishment in a food chain. A food web is a model that demonstrates the complex network of feeding relatonships and the flow of energy in an ecosytem. Hydrologic cycle is a water cycle that describes the movement of water on, above and below the earths surface area, a nitrigen fixaton is a process by which certain types of bacteria convert gasesous nitrogen into nitrogen compounds. Biomass is the total dry mass of all organisms in a given area, a energy pyramid is a diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers and other trophic levels. Habitat combines biotic and abiotic factors found in the area where a organisms lives and a niche is the organisms role in the environment and how a organisms makes a living.