NAME: ECOLOGY VOCAB

PERIOD:

Match the letter of the definition that best matches the term.
D
____ 1. Ecosystem A. Major biological community occurring over a large area.
A
____ 2. Biome B. Any living thing.
G 3. Habitat
____ C. Study of interactions of living organisms w/each other & their
environment.
N
____ 4. Population D. Large area that includes living & nonliving factors.
M 5. Biodiversity
____ E. Used by scientists to express relationships between variables.
I
____ 6. Succession F. Nonliving components in ecology.
B 7. Organism
____ G. Specific place where a particular population of a species lives.
L
____ 8. Community H. An organism’s role or job in an ecosystem.
C
____ 9. Ecology I. Process of one community replacing another.
K 10. Biosphere
____ J. Living components in ecology.
H 11. Niche
____ K. Anywhere on earth or in the atmosphere that supports life.
F 12. Abiotic
____ L. All interacting organisms in an area.
J
____ 13. Biotic M. Number of species living w/in an ecosystem.
E 14. Models
____ N. All members of a species that live in 1 place, at 1 time & breed.

Write the numbers next to the ecological levels of organization from smallest to largest.

8 15. Ecosystem
____ 1
____ 18. Cell 4 21. Organ System
____
6 5 19. Organism 2
____ 16. Population ____ ____ 22. Tissue
3
____ 17. Organ 7 20. Community
____ 9 23. Biosphere
____

Draw an illustrated timeline representing the succession that occurs after a forest fire has burned all of the
vegetation in an area. Use the descriptions to guide you in showing succession.

Barren land from a fire. Weeds/grass/small shrubs. Small trees/large bushes. Large trees.
Write the letter that best answers the question below.
C
_____ 24. An ecosystem is defined by the
a. organisms living in a particular area.
b. climate of the region.
c. community and physical aspects of the area.
d. pioneer species that occupy the area.

C
_____ 25. A typical organism that might occupy a forest in the southeastern United States is a
a. cactus.
b. wolf.
c. deer.
d. polar bear.

B
_____ 26. A measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem is its
a. ecology.
b. biodiversity.
c. biology.
d. abiotic factor.

Read the passage below. Then answer the questions that follow. Some of the terms/phrases may be used
more than once.

The place where a particular population of a species lives is its habitat. The many different species
that live together in a habitat are called a community. An ecosystem, or ecological system, consists of a
community and all the physical aspects of its habitat, such as the soil, water and weather. The physical
aspects of a habitat are called abiotic factors, and the living organisms in a habitat are called biotic factors.
The number of species living within an ecosystem is a measure of its biodiversity. Succession is the
process of the replacement of one kind of community by another at a single place over a period of time.
Biotic
_______________________________ 27. all living organisms in a habitat
Biomediversity
_______________________________ 28. number of species living within an ecosystem
Succession
_______________________________ 29. change in a community’s characteristics over time
Community
_______________________________ 30. deer, squirrels, and rabbits living together in a forest
form this
Ecosystem
_______________________________ 31. an ecological system
Abiotic
_______________________________ 32. soil, water, and weather are examples of these
Habitat
_______________________________ 33. place where a population lives
Community
_______________________________ 34. all species of freshwater fish that live together in a lake
form this
Ecosystem
_______________________________ 35. consists of a community and abiotic factors