Name: Date: Period: Day:

Ecology Vocabulary

Use the following words and match them with the correct definition. Then, draw a picture for each
vocabulary word.

Predator Prey Symbiosis Mutualism Commensalism

Parasitism Competition Limiting Factor Native Species Introduced Species
Wetland Coral Reef Estuary
WORD DEFINITION PICTURE
1. Limiting Factor An environment factor that
prevents an organism or population
from reaching its full potential of
size or activity.
2. Estuary An area where fresh water mixes
with salt water from the ocean.
3. Prey An organism that is killed and
eaten by another organism.
4. Native Species A species that was not introduced
and that naturally occurs in a given
ecosystem both in the past and
now.
5. Wetland An area of land that is periodically
underwater or whose soil contains a
great deal of moisture.
6. Predator An organism that kills and eats all
or part of another organism.
7. Coral Reef A limestone ridge found in tropical
climates and composed of coral
fragments that are deposited around
organic remains.
8. Introduced Species A species introduced either by
accident or on purpose by human
actions into places beyond the
species natural range.
9. Symbiosis A relationship in which two
different organisms live in close
association with each other.
10. Competition Ecological relationship in which
two or more organisms depend on
the same limited resource.
11. Mutualism A relationship between two species
in which both species benefit.
12. Parasitism A relationship between two species
in which one species, the parasite,
benefits from the other species, the
host, which is harmed.
13. Commensalism A relationship between two
organisms in which one organism
benefits and the other is unaffected.
Carnivore Ecology Food Chain Producer Habitat Herbivore Species
Consumer Niche Decomposer Ecosystem Abiotic Factor Omnivore Biotic Factor
Population Community Food web
WORD DEFINITION PICTURE
14. Ecology The study of how organisms
interact with one another and
with the environment.

15. Abiotic Factor A nonliving part of an

environment.

16. Species Includes organisms that are

closely related and can mate to
produce fertile offspring.
17. Ecosystem A community of organisms and
their nonliving environment.

18. Niche The role the population plays in

the ecosystem
19. Decomposer An organism that gets energy
and nutrients by breaking down
the remains of other organisms.
20. Herbivore A consumer that eats only plants.

21. Omnivore A consumer that eats both plants

and animals
22. Food web The feeding relationships among
organisms in an ecosystem and
are made up of many food
chains.
23. Biotic factor A living part of the environment.
24. Population A group of individuals of the
same species that live in the
same place.
25. Community Made up of all the species that
live and interact in an area.
26. Habitat The place where an organism
usually lives.
27. Producer (Autotroph) Uses energy to make own food.
28. Consumer An organism that eats other
organisms
29. Carnivore A consumer that east other
animals.
30. Food Chain The path of energy transfer from
producers to consumers in one
direction.