Living Environment Translated English 2014 | Page 27

20. Competition- a relationship in which two organisms attempt to
obtain the same resource.
21. Biotic – features in the environment that are alive or were once
alive
22. Abiotic- nonliving, physical features of the environment, including
air, water, sunlight, soil, temperature and climate
23. Biodiversity- the variety of life in an area
24. Limiting factor- an environmental factor that can restrict the size of
a population
25. Carrying capacity- the largest number of individuals of a particular
species that an ecosystem can support over time
26. Producer- an organism that can make its own food; green plants
27. Autotroph- another name for a producer
28. Heterotroph- an organism that obtains its energy and nutrients by
eating other organisms
29. Consumer- another name for a heterotroph
30. Photosynthesis- the process by which plants use light energy to
produce a simple sugar ( glucose) from carbon dioxide and water
and give off oxygen
31. Food chain-a model that links organisms by their feeding
relationships
32. Herbivore- a consumer that eats only plant matter
33. Carnivore- a consumer that eats only animal matter
34. Omnivore- a consumer that eats both plant and animal matter
35. Decomposer- an organisms that breaks down dead organic matter
and recycles it back into the environment
36. Food web- a model that shows the complex feeding relationships
within an ecosystem
37. Generalists- organisms that will eat a wide variety of food sources
38. Primary consumers- herbivores; the first level above the producers
in an energy pyramid
39. Secondary consumers- carnivores that eat herbivores
40. Tertiary consumers-carnivores that eat secondary consumers