A glossary of biology and ecology terms

Abiotic stress:

Nonliving environment factors (such as drought, extreme cold or heat, high winds) that can have harmful effects on plants and animals.

autotrophs:

an organism which is able to produce its own food from inorganic sources. There are two types; photosynthetic and chemosynthetic

biologist:

a person who studies living organisms and their relationship to one another.

biota:

1. Plant and animal life in general
2. The types of plant and animal life found in a specific region at at specific times.

biome:

a region which has distinct types of organisms, substrates and climate all interacting to produce a large distinct and complex biotic community.

biotic community:

An aggregation of different species of organisms living and interacting within the same habitat.

captive:

not wild; not living in its natural habitat.

community:

different populations living together in the same community.

decomposer: an organism that eats and digests dead organic material, thus releasing nutrients that are used by other living organisms

ecosystem:

all living things and their environment, in an area of any size, linked together by energy and nutrient flow.

endangered:

a species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or most of its range.

extinct:

no longer in existence.

food chain:

the flow of materials and/or energy in an ecosystem. A series of organisms obtaining energy ny eating other organisms

food web: an interlinking of various food chains in a given ecosystem

habitat:

the arrangement of food, water, shelter, and space necessary for a species' survival.

heterotrophs:

are organisms which are unable to produce their own food from inorganic sources and must gain its food energy from prganic sources whether plant or animal

illegal killing:

illegal killing or collection of plants or animals.

migration:

seasonal movements from one region to another.

natural diversity:

the wide variety of living things that make up an ecosystem.

refuge:

an area set aside for the purpose of conserving species and their habitat.

reintroduction:

a wildlife management technique used to place species back into an area where they had disappeared or become dangerously low in numbers.

old growth forest:

an undisturbed forest with trees that are more than 200 years old. It is characterized by fallen trees, trees with broken tops, and mature and dying trees.

parasite:

a consumer that live on or with another organism (called a host) for its own benefit, without usually killing that organism. The parisite uses another living creature as a home and source of food.

pesticides:

chemicals used to control populations of species that are believed to be harmful to human beings or human activities.

population:

a group of individuals of the same species that live in an area.

predator:

an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals for food.

prey:

an animal that is killed and eaten by other animals.

species:

a population of individuals that are more or less alike, and that breed and produce fertile offspring under natural conditions.

threatened:

a species likely to become endangered if it is not protected.

wetlands:

any land area that tends to be regularly wet or flooded.