Ecology Vocab

6. A group of the same species living in the same area.
7. A stable, mature ecosystem that undergoes little change in species.
9. A species whose presence has a large impact on ecosystem stability.
13. Non-living physical and chemical components of an environment (e.g., sunlight, temperature, water).
14. An organism that produces its own food using light or chemical energy.
16. The development of an ecosystem in an area with no soil.
17. The global sum of all ecosystems; the zone of life on Earth.
19. An organism that gets energy by consuming other organisms.
20. The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
21. All the populations of different species living and interacting in an area.

1. An organism that eats producers (herbivore).
2. Living components of an ecosystem (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria).
3. The first organisms to colonize a barren environment (e.g., lichens, mosses).
4. A community of organisms and their abiotic environment.
5. An organism that breaks down dead material and recycles nutrients.
8. A non-native species that spreads and disrupts local ecosystems.
10. An organism that eats secondary consumers.
11. The recovery of an ecosystem after a disturbance where soil is already present.
12. The maximum number of individuals an environment can support.
15. A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.
18. An individual living thing.