Ecology Terminology

1. a living organism that shapes its environment
4. branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
7. the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism
8. non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment
10. a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains
14. a graphical representation of the relationship between the different living organisms at different trophic levels
15. the process of objectively establishing facts through testing and experimentation
17. relationship between two or more variables or a proposed explanation for some observed phenomenon

2. non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment
3. series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food
5. step in a nutritive series, or food chain, of an ecosystem.
6. a type of symbiotic relationship where all species involved benefit from their interactions.
9. any person or group who is the final user of a product or service.
11. carefully thought-out explanation for observations
12. any kind of green plant
13. something (such as a sheltered or private space) that resembles a recess in a wall
16. the flow of energy through living things within an ecosystem