This document defines important ecology vocabulary terms including: - Abiotic and biotic factors that make up an organism's environment such as non-living parts (abiotic factors) and other living organisms (biotic factors). - Key ecological concepts such as biological communities, biosphere, ecosystems, habitats, niches, populations, symbiosis, trophic levels, food chains, food webs, succession, and climax communities. - Different organism types like autotrophs that produce their own food, heterotrophs that rely on other organisms for food, decomposers that break down decaying material, and their roles in ecosystems.

1. Ecology Vocabulary
abiotic factor (p. 37): the non-living part of an organisms environment
biological community(p. 39): groups of animals interacting in the same area at the
same time
biosphere (p. 36): the portion of earth that supports living things
biotic factor (p. 38): the living organisms that inhabit an environment
commensalism (p. 44): a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the
other doesn’t care
ecology (p. 36): the study of the interactions that take place between an organism and
it’s environment
ecosystem (p. 41): interacting animals in a biological community and the community’s
abiotic factors
habitat (p. 42): the place where an organism lives out its life
mutualism (p. 44): a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit
niche (p. 43): a species strategies and adaptations; all its interactions between the
abiotic and biotic factors
parasitism (p. 44): a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is
harmed
population (p. 38): a group of organisms (all of the same species) which interbreed and
live in the same area at the same time
symbiosis (p. 44): a close ongoing relationship between 2 different species
autotroph (p. 46): an organism that uses light (or light-derived energy) to make it’s
own food
biomass (p. 52): the total weight of living matter at each trophic level
decomposer (p. 47): an organism that breaks down decaying material into molecules
that are more easily absorbed (by the soil I guess?)
food chain (p. 49): a simple model of who eats who (how matter and energy move
through an ecosystem)
food web (p. 50): more complex than a food chain, shows every possible feeding
relationship at every trophic level
heterotroph (p. 47): an organism that depends on other organisms for food because it
can’t make its own
trophic level (p. 50): a feeding step in the passage of energy and materials
climax community (p. 68): stable, mature community that undergoes little or no
change in species
limiting factor (p. 65): any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence,
numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms
primary succession(p. 67): the colonization of barren land by communities of
organisms
secondary succession(p. 68): the sequence of changes that takes place after an
existing community is severely disrupted in some way
succession (p. 67): the orderly, natural changes and species replace- ments that take
place in the communities of an ecosystem
tolerance (p. 66): the ability of an organ- ism to withstand fluctuations in biotic and
abiotic environmental factors