Ecology Vocab

social group of any size whose members reside in a specific location

System of interlocking and interdependent food chains

An animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse

regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem

Animal that eats animals

the gradual movement of the continents across the earth's surface through geological time

branch of biology-deals with relations of organisms to each other&to their physical surrounding

organisms that makes its own food

gradual process by which ecosystems change and develop over time.

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism

systematic cycling of water on earth and in the atmosphere

series of community changes which take place on a disturbed or damaged habitat

linear network of links in a food web

Organism that gets its food by feeding on other organisms

community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environmnet

beginning growth of an ecosystem on bare rock or "naked" dirt

group of organisms having many characteristics in common and ranking below a genus

the chemical process by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds

a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, eg. forest

graphical model of energy flow in a community

Animal that eats both plants and animals

Animal that eats plants

Organism that breaks down organic material

state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming extinct

the action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area

degree of compactness of a group of organisms or a substance

the branch of biology that deals with geographical distribution of plants and animals

all organisms of the same group or species that live in a particular area and can interbreed