Definitions
Abiotic Factors: Non living factors that influence the ecosystem, such as the temperature, the wind, and the landscape of the surroundings
Autotrophs: Organisms that synthesize organic matter from inorganic matter, mainly through photosynthesis
Example: Banana trees
Biome: General ecosystems with a notable characteristic; this can be too much rainfall, many trees or snow
Examples: Deserts and rainforests
Biosphere: The thin layer around the sphere or the sum of all ecosystems
Biota: The combined flora and fauna of an environment in the same location and time period, same as community
Biotic factors: The organisms, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, that inhabit a certain ecosystem
Carnivores: Organisms that consume animals (note: carnivorous plants must do photosynthesis too!)
Examples: Dogs and lions
Classification: To facilitate communication worldwide, scientists classify organisms into large groups called KINGDOMS, and then subdivide these groups into smaller and smaller groups, called PHYLA, CLASSES, ORDERS, FAMILIES, GENERA, and SPECIES. Below we have the classification of human beings, whose scientific name is Homo sapiens:
Community: A group of populations that inhabit the same ecosystem at the same time period; same as biota
Example: The Amazon Rain Forest
Consumers: Organisms that obtain energy by eating other organism's organic matter
Examples: Humans and dogs
Decomposers: Organisms that break down organic matter into inorganic matter
Example: Some bacteria such as fungi
Detritivores: Organisms that eat dead organic matter and break it down into inorganic chemicals; these include microorganisms such as bacteria and protists as well as larger organisms such as fungi, insects, maggots and worms
Ecology: From the Greek, the study of our home, or the study of the ecosystems
Ecosystem: The relationship between abiotic and biotic factors of a certain area; a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.
Food Chain: Shows how organic matter, hence energy, is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem
Food Web: Several interacting food chains of an ecosystem
Habitat: The place, area or environment where an organism lives
Herbivores: Organisms that consume plants
Example: Sloths, horses and cows
Pyramid of Energy: A diagram that is shaped like a pyramid and shows how energy flows through a food chain. More specifically it also shows how the amount of energy decreases as it enters each trophic level.
Heterotroph: An organism that has to obtain its food from another living organism
Law of Conservation of Energy (1st Law of Energy): Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed
Law of Entropy (2nd Law of Energy): Every time energy is transferred or transformed, some of the useful energy is lost; this means that everything tends to get more and more disorganized (or with a higher entropy), and to go against this natural trend, a constant input of energy is needed
Law of Conservation of Matter: Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed -- like what happens during any chemical reaction
Niche: The specific role of an organism in an ecosystem ( For example: its trophic level, reproductive strategies, rhythmical behavior)
Population: A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time
Producers: Organisms that make their own organic matter out of inorganic matter; the most common producers do so through photosynthesis, using the energy of light to power the process
Example: Banana trees
Saprotrophs: Organism that consume organic matter by releasing its digestive juices and then sucking in the products
Example: Funghi
Scientific Names: Composed of the genus and the species of the organism. The name of the genus is always capitalized and the name of the species is not. Both words must be either italicized or underlined
Example: Homo sapiens (the scientific name of humans)
Species: Organisms that have the potential to interbreed and have fertile offspring
Trophic Level: The feeding level of an organism in a food chain, such as PRODUCERS (always the first trophic level, since they make their own food), PRIMARY CONSUMERS (feed off the producers), SECONDARY CONSUMERS (feed off the primary consumers), etc. The number of levels in an ecosystem is limited by the law of entropy.
Autotrophs: Organisms that synthesize organic matter from inorganic matter, mainly through photosynthesis
Example: Banana trees
Biome: General ecosystems with a notable characteristic; this can be too much rainfall, many trees or snow
Examples: Deserts and rainforests
Biosphere: The thin layer around the sphere or the sum of all ecosystems
Biota: The combined flora and fauna of an environment in the same location and time period, same as community
Biotic factors: The organisms, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, that inhabit a certain ecosystem
Carnivores: Organisms that consume animals (note: carnivorous plants must do photosynthesis too!)
Examples: Dogs and lions
Classification: To facilitate communication worldwide, scientists classify organisms into large groups called KINGDOMS, and then subdivide these groups into smaller and smaller groups, called PHYLA, CLASSES, ORDERS, FAMILIES, GENERA, and SPECIES. Below we have the classification of human beings, whose scientific name is Homo sapiens:
- Kingdom..............................Animalia
- Phylum.................................Chordata
- Class....................................Mammalia
- Order....................................Primata
- Family...................................Hominidae
- Genus..................................Homo
- Species................................sapiens
Community: A group of populations that inhabit the same ecosystem at the same time period; same as biota
Example: The Amazon Rain Forest
Consumers: Organisms that obtain energy by eating other organism's organic matter
Examples: Humans and dogs
Decomposers: Organisms that break down organic matter into inorganic matter
Example: Some bacteria such as fungi
Detritivores: Organisms that eat dead organic matter and break it down into inorganic chemicals; these include microorganisms such as bacteria and protists as well as larger organisms such as fungi, insects, maggots and worms
Ecology: From the Greek, the study of our home, or the study of the ecosystems
Ecosystem: The relationship between abiotic and biotic factors of a certain area; a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.
Food Chain: Shows how organic matter, hence energy, is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an ecosystem
Food Web: Several interacting food chains of an ecosystem
Habitat: The place, area or environment where an organism lives
Herbivores: Organisms that consume plants
Example: Sloths, horses and cows
Pyramid of Energy: A diagram that is shaped like a pyramid and shows how energy flows through a food chain. More specifically it also shows how the amount of energy decreases as it enters each trophic level.
Heterotroph: An organism that has to obtain its food from another living organism
Law of Conservation of Energy (1st Law of Energy): Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed
Law of Entropy (2nd Law of Energy): Every time energy is transferred or transformed, some of the useful energy is lost; this means that everything tends to get more and more disorganized (or with a higher entropy), and to go against this natural trend, a constant input of energy is needed
Law of Conservation of Matter: Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed -- like what happens during any chemical reaction
Niche: The specific role of an organism in an ecosystem ( For example: its trophic level, reproductive strategies, rhythmical behavior)
Population: A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time
Producers: Organisms that make their own organic matter out of inorganic matter; the most common producers do so through photosynthesis, using the energy of light to power the process
Example: Banana trees
Saprotrophs: Organism that consume organic matter by releasing its digestive juices and then sucking in the products
Example: Funghi
Scientific Names: Composed of the genus and the species of the organism. The name of the genus is always capitalized and the name of the species is not. Both words must be either italicized or underlined
Example: Homo sapiens (the scientific name of humans)
Species: Organisms that have the potential to interbreed and have fertile offspring
Trophic Level: The feeding level of an organism in a food chain, such as PRODUCERS (always the first trophic level, since they make their own food), PRIMARY CONSUMERS (feed off the producers), SECONDARY CONSUMERS (feed off the primary consumers), etc. The number of levels in an ecosystem is limited by the law of entropy.