Ecology Vocab

5. An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
6. A collection of all the food chains in an area; shows are organisms are connected through feeding relationships
7. The variety of living things in an area
8. Microscopic animal life
11. A behavior or physical characteristic that allows an organism to live successfully in its environment
13. Shows the direction energy flows in a food chain or web
14. A consumer that eats other animals
15. Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

1. A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species
2. A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
3. The mostly solid, rocky part of the Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface of the crust
4. Organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer
9. Plants and animals that have moved or been relocated to places where they are not native
10. Animals obtain this from the foods they eat
12. Organism that cannot make its own food; also called heterotrophs