Populations and Ecosystems Vocabulary

For the following words, you must 1. write the word, 2. rewrite (copy) the given definition,
3. draw a picture for the word, and 4. put the definition into your own words. You may use
the sheets provided or you can create your own format. The list of words will count as a
homework grade. You will NOT have a vocabulary quiz on the words.

Due Thursday, May 9th

1. Ecosystems - a complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an
area.

2. Biotic - the living things that shape an ecosystem. They are, any living component that affects another
organism

3. Abiotic - non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment.

4. Producers – organisms that can make its own food. The source of food for the ecosystem.

5. Consumers – organisms that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.

6. Decomposers – organisms that break down waste and dead organisms and return the raw materials to
the ecosystem.

7. Tertiary Consumer- a carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an
animal that feeds only on secondary consumers.

8. Symbiosis – living together

9. Parasitism – the relationship between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits
from the other by causing damage to it. 1 helped, 1 hurt.

10. Mutualism – the relationship between two different kinds of organisms that is beneficial to both
organisms involved. 2 helped, 0 hurt.

11. Commensalism- the relationship between two different kinds of organisms in which one benefits and
the other is neither helped nor hurt. 1 helped, 0 hurt.

12. Biome – areas of the earth with similar animals, temperatures, rainfall, and plants.

13. Density-dependent factor: a factor that increase their effect on a population as the population density
increases; dependent on population size

14. Density-independent factor: a factor that effects a population regardless of its density

15. Keystone Species: a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend. If it were removed,
the ecosystem would change drastically.