Abiotic– non living Autotroph– organism that makes it’s own food (producers, plants) Biodiversity– number of different types of organisms in an area Biosphere– all the land,air and water, whole earth

Biotic– living organisms Carnivore— eats only meat Carrying capacity– Maximum number of organisms an area can hold Community—living organisms and interactions in the same environment

Competition- the struggle between organisms for the same limited resources in a particular area Consumer- eats other organisms Decomposer-breaks down dead materials Ecological niche-the specific role played by an organism in an ecosystem

Ecological succession— the process of one community replacing another Ecology— the study of how living things interact Ecosystem— the living and nonliving things that interact in a given area Energy pyramid— diagram showing how food energy moves through the ecosystem Environment— all living and non living things that surround an organism

Finite— a supply that ends Food Chain— identifies the specific feeding relationships among organisms Food web— interconnected food chains Habitat— the place where an organism lives Herbivore— eats only plants

Heterotroph— cannot make its own food Host— organism in a parasitic relationship that provides a home and/or food for the parasite Limiting factors– factor that limits the size of a population Parasite– organism lives in or on a host organism Population– all the individuals of a single species that live in a specific area

Predator— hunts for food Prey— organism being eaten Producer— produces own food Scavenger— eats organisms that have already died