Unit 9: Ecosystems Vocabulary Practice Flashcard

Front

What are autotrophs that convert solar energy to chemical energy stored in glucose/sugars called?

Back

Producers

Front

What is the ecological relationship in which both species benefit?

Back

Mutualism

Front

What do we call organisms that obtain energy from dead matter?

Back

Detritivores

Front

What term describes the way individuals are arranged in an area?

Back

Population dispersion

Front

What are the first organisms to colonize an area and begin the process of ecological succession?

Back

Pioneer species

Front

What is the process by which one community replaces another over time in an ecosystem?

Back

Ecological succession

Front

What is the term for organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms?

Back

Heterotrophs

Front

What is the relationship called where one species benefits while the other is harmed?

Back

Parasitism

Front

What is the term for the maximum population size that an environment can sustain?

Back

Carrying capacity

Front

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

Back

Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.