Marine Biology Vocabulary

The level of disturbance that ecosystems can cope with while keeping their original state

• Ecosystem resilience

• Ecosystem recovery

• Ecosystem disturbance

• Ecosystem succession

The return of a damaged ecological system and associated ecosystem services to a stable state.

• Ecosystem resilience

• Ecosystem recovery

• Ecosystem disturbance

• Ecosystem succession

a change in environmental conditions that causes a change in an ecosystem

• Ecosystem resilience

• Ecosystem recovery

• Ecosystem disturbance

• Ecosystem succession

each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.

• trophic level

• food chain

• food web

• niche

series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

• trophic level

• food chain

• food web

• niche

An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.

• trophic level

• food chain

• food web

• niche

An organism that can make its own food.

• producer

• consumer

• predator

• prey

An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms

• producer

• consumer

• predator

• prey

An animal that hunts other animals for food

• producer

• consumer

• predator

• prey

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

• producer

• consumer

• predator

• prey