Ecology Vocabulary

Abiotic Factor: non-living factors in Autotroph: makes on food Biotic Factor: living factors in an Carrying Capacity: number of
an ecosystem (i.e. temperature, wind, ecosystem (i.e. plants, animals) individuals that the resources of
sunlight) environment can support

Decomposers: breaks down organic Food Chain: links organisms by their Food Web: model that shows Habitat: combine biotic and abiotic
matters into simpler components feeding relationships complex network of feeding factors found in the area where an
relationships within an ecosystem organism lives

Heterotroph: does not make own Niche: Population: all of the individuals of a Producers: organisms that obtain its
food species that live in the same area energy from abiotic sources, such as
sunlight

Trophic Level: level of nourishment Ecosystems: collection of organisms Consumers: organisms that obtains Mutualism: ecological relationship
in a food chain among living things and their its energy and nutrients by eating between two species in which each
surroundings other organisms species benefits

Parasitism: which one organisms Commensalism: one species receives Predation: one organism hunts and 10% Rule: when energy is passed in
benefits by harming another organism a benefit but the other species is not kills another organism for food an ecosystem from one trophic level
affected one way or another to the next, only ten percent of the
energy will be passed on

Community: collection of all of the
different populations that live in one
area
Biome: A biome is a large region of
Earth that has a certain climate and
certain types of living things. Major
biomes include tundra, forests,
grasslands, and deserts.
Symbiosis: ecological relationship Keystone Species: organisms that has
between members of at least two unusually large effect on its
different species that live in direct ecosystem
contact with one another
 Cells Vocabulary
Prokaryote: Eukaryote: Unicellular: Multicellular:

Cytoplasm: Cell (plasma) membrane: Cell Wall: Nucleus & Nucleolus:

Vacuole: Mitochondria: Chloroplast: Smooth & Rough ER:

Golgi Body (Apparatus): Ribosome: Lysosome: Hydrophilic:

Hydrophobic: Osmosis: Diffusion: Hypotonic Solution:

Hypertonic Solution: Isotonic Solution: Solute: Solvent:

Active Transport: Passive Transport: Endocytosis: Exocytosis:

 Photosynthesis& Cellular Respiration

Photosynthesis: Cellular Respiration: Light Dependent Reaction: Calvin Cycle (dark reaction):

Chlorophyll: Thylakoid: Stroma: Glycolysis:

Krebs Cycle: Aerobic Respiration: Anaerobic Respiration: Fermentation:

 Chemistry of Life

Acid: Base: pH Scale: Hydrogen Bond:

Covalent Bond: Cohesion: Adhesion: Solution:

Solute: Solvent: Monomer: Polymer:

Activation Energy: Catalyst: Enzyme: Substrate:

Lipid: Carbohydrate: Nucleic Acid: Protein:

 Genetics:

DNA: Nucleotide: Base Pairing Rule: Replication:

mRNA: rRNA: tRNA: Transcription:

Translation: Codon: Mutation: Mitosis:

Interphase: Prophase: Metaphase: Telophase:

Cytokinesis: Diploid: Haploid: Heterozygous:

Homozygous: Meiosis: Binary Fission: Centromere:

 Taxonomy & Classification

Dichotomous Key: tool that allows
the user to determine the identity of
items in the natural world, such as
trees, wildflowers, mammals,
reptiles, rocks, and fish.
Kingdom: the highest classification Phylum: listed under Kingdom. Ex: Class: falls under Phylum. Ex:
into which living organisms are Chordata (animals with backbones) Mammalia (chordates with fur or
grouped. Ex: prokaryotes, protists, hair and milk glands)
fungi, plants, and animals

Order: falls under Class. Ex: Family: falls under Order. Ex: Genus: falls under Genus. Ex. Species: falls under Species. Ex:
Primates (mammals with collar Hominids (primates with relatively Homo (hominids with upright Homo Sapiens (members of the
bones and grasping fingers) flat faces and three dimensional posture and large brains) genus Homo with a hightforehead
vision) and thin skull bones)

Archaea: prokaryote, unicellular, Eukarya: prokaryote, unicellular, Protist: Eukaryote, multi- & Fungi: consumers that do not move;
auto- & heterotroph. Ex: lives in auto- & heterotroph Ex: do not live unicellular, auto- & heterotroph. uni- and multi- cellular. Ex: yeast,
extreme places (bottom of swamps) in extreme places (live in/on a Ex: paramecia, amoebas mold, mushrooms
person’s body E. coli)

Cladogram: the purpose is to show

the relationship between species.

**Hint: Remember-Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup. **


Natural Selection:
The process whereby organisms
better adapted to their environment
tend to survive and produce more
offspring.
Convergent Evolution:
Occurs when species have different
ancestral origins but have developed
similar features due to similar
environments.
Directional Selection:
Causes a shift in a population’s
phenotypic (characteristics)
distribution
Evolution
Divergent Evolution: Gradualism: Homologous Structures:
Two or more distinct species share Changes in landforms result from Body parts that are similar in
a common ancestor from which slow changes over a long period of structure on different organisms
they diverged (i.e. is the dog, the time but performs different functions
wolf, and the fox.)
Analogous Structures: Vestigial Structure: Stabilizing Selection:
Similar structures that evolved Structure in an organism that has Intermediate traits are favored by
independently in two living lost all or most of its original natural selection and becomes more
organisms to serve the same function in the course of evolution common in the population
purpose (i.e. bats and butterflies:
both have wings).
Disruptive Selection: Fossil Evidence: Embryology:
Occurs when both extreme Traces of organisms that existed in Study of embryos and their
characteristics are favored, while the past development
individuals with intermediate
characteristics are selected against
by something in nature.