Ecology Defnitions

Paradigm: A thought pattern or way of thinking in any scientifc

discipline.
Paradigm Shift: A radical change in thinking from an accepted point of
view to a new belief.
Ecology: he study of interaction of living things with each other and
the abiotic factors in their environment.
Ecosystem: !n an area defned by an ecologist" the set of relationships
between populations of species and between those populations and
the abiotic factors in their environment.
Ecology erms......
#abitat: he type of environment in which an organism or group
normally lives.
$iche: Describes position of species in habitat.
%iodiversity: &ariation of life forms within a given ecosystem" biome"
or the entire earth. %iodiversity is often used as a measure of health of
biological systems. 'ore %iodiversity ( 'ore Stability.
Ecotone: ransition area between ) systems that includes members of
both ecosystems. hey often contain greater biodiversity than either
ecosystem.
%iotic Potential: he ma*imum number of o+spring that a species
could produce" if resources were unlimited.
Population: All of the members of a species living in the same
ecosystem or habitat.
,ommunity: ,ollection of all the populations of all species in an
ecosystem- all the organisms in an ecosystem.
Producer . An autotroph" an organism that uses photosynthesis or
other forms of chemical synthesis to produce food. All green plants/
,onsumer: #eterotroph: 0rganism that must eat producers or other
consumers to survive. 'ost animals/
Decomposer: Saprobe: An organism that feeds on detritus 1dead
stu+2. !n this process" it releases nutrients into the soil and water"
where they can be used by other organisms. !nsects" fungus" bacteria/
Herbivore Animal that eats only plants. Rabbits.
,arnivore: An animal that feeds on other animals.
0mnivore: Animal that eats plants A$D animals.
Detrivore: Eats detritus 1 dead stu+. 2
3ood ,hain: Step by step se4uence linking organisms that feed on
each other" starting with a food source" such as a producer" and
continuing with a se4uence of consumers. Page 56758.
3ood web: Pictorial representation of feeding relationships among
organisms in an ecosystem. ,omple* network of many interconnected
food chains and feeding relationships. Page 56 . 58.
rophic 9evel: :ay of categori;ing living things according to how they
gain their energy.
,ompetition: he struggle between individuals for territory or
resources.

7< !ntraspecifc competition: A form of competition in which
individuals of the same species compete. Survival of the fttest.
7< !nterspecifc competition: A form of competition in which
individuals or di+erent species compete for resources.
Parasitism: he parasite lives on or in the host. !t benefts" but the
host is harmed.
'utualism: %oth species beneft from the relationship.
,ommensalism: 0ne species benefts" but the other is neither hurt nor
assisted.
hermodynamics: Energy transfer must obey the laws of
thermodynamics" which help limit the energy passed between trophic
levels.
7< =
st
law: Energy can be transformed" but cannot be created or
distroyed.
7< )
nd
law: As energy is transformed" some is converted into
thermal energy which cannot be passed on. herefore" some energy is
lost during every transfer.