Ecology Terms set 1 of 3

ABIOTIC

• Living organisms that interact with the environment.

• Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

• The study of living organisms and their interactions.

• The process by which organisms adapt to their environment.

DECOMPOSER

• An organism that produces organic material.

• An organism that decomposes organic material.

• An organism that consumes other organisms.

• An organism that lives in symbiosis with plants.

BIOTIC

• Relating to or resulting from living organisms.

• Pertaining to non-living things.

• A term used for chemical processes in the environment.

• Describing the physical features of an area.

OMNIVORE

• An animal or person that eats only plants.

• An animal or person that eats only animals.

• An animal or person that eats a variety of food of both plant and animal origin.

• An animal or person that primarily eats fruits.

PREY

• An animal that is hunted and killed by another for food.

• A type of plant that consumes insects.

• A predator that hunts for food.

• An animal that scavenges dead organisms.

SCAVENGER

• An animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse.

• A predator that hunts live animals.

• A herbivore that only eats plants.

• An omnivore that eats both plants and animals.

CARNIVORE

• An animal that feeds on other animals.

• A plant that absorbs nutrients from the soil.

• An animal that primarily eats fruits and vegetables.

• A creature that lives in water.

PREDATOR

• An animal that naturally preys on others.

• A plant that absorbs sunlight for energy.

• An animal that scavenges dead organisms.

• A creature that lives in symbiosis with others.

CONSUMER

• An organism that feeds on plants or other animals for energy.

• A type of plant that produces its own food through photosynthesis.

• An organism that decomposes organic material for energy.

• A primary producer in an ecosystem.

PRODUCER

• An organism that consumes other organisms for energy.

• An organism that produces energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

• An organism that decomposes organic material.

• An organism that is part of the second level of a food chain.