Ecology Vocabulary Words

3. an organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms
4. describes living factors in the environment
7. organism that can make organic molecules from inorganic sources (photosynthesis is an example)
9. a group of different species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other
10. process by which energy is made by using chemicals as an energy source instead of light
12. an organism that obtains its food by eating other organisms or their byproducts
13. one of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid
15. organism that eats only plants
16. study of interactions of living things with each other and their environment
18. an organism that eats both plants and animals
19. an organism that eats other organisms or organic matter to gain energy
20. a consumer that eats only one type of organism
21. describes the nonliving part of the environment including, water, rocks, light and temperature

1. an organism that makes its own food
2. a species that is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem in which it lives
5. a community of organisms and their abiotic environment
6. a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities
8. the variety of organisms in a given area
11. an organism that eats only meat
14. species that does not rely on a single source of prey
17. the pathway of energy transfer in an ecosystem