Environmental Science

Definition of Ecological Terms

Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang - BSBA 2

Activity 1: Definition
Activity 2: Concept Map

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Activity 1: Ecological terms in the passage:

Trophic level, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, producers, consumers, population, community,

habitat, decomposers, biosphere, ecosystem, ecology.

Trophic level - The position an organism occupies in a food chain. Elephants are herbivores,
lions are carnivores, and humans are omnivores.
Example: Grizzly bears are apex predators occupying the top trophic level in their habitat.
Deer are primary consumers occupying the second trophic level below bears.

Herbivore - An organism that gets its energy from eating plants. Elephants are herbivores.
Example: Cows, rabbits, and deer are herbivores that get their energy from eating grass and
plants.

Carnivore - An organism that gets its energy by eating other animals. Lions are carnivores.
Example: Wolves, sharks, and eagles are carnivores that hunt and eat other animals for food.

Omnivore - An organism that eats both plants and animals. Humans are omnivores.
Example: Bears, raccoons, and chickens are omnivores that eat both meat and plants.

Producers - Organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis. Plants are
producers.
Example: Trees, grasses, algae, and phytoplankton are producers that make their own food
through photosynthesis.

Consumers - Organisms that get their energy by consuming other organisms. Elephants and
lions are consumers.
Example: Mice, snakes, and hawks are consumers that get energy by eating other organisms.

Population - A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area. All elephants
make up a population.
Example: A herd of zebras in the Serengeti forms a population of one species in an area.

Community - All the populations of different species living and interacting in an ecosystem.
The elephant population together with all other organisms makes up a community.
Example: The zebra population along with wildebeest, gazelle, and other Serengeti species
make up an ecological community.

Habitat - The natural environment where an organism lives. Organisms interact with other
species in their habitat.
Example: Coral reefs are the habitat for many marine organisms like fish, sharks, and sea
turtles.

Decomposers - Organisms that break down dead organic material. Bacteria are decomposers.
Example: Earthworms, fungi, and bacteria are decomposers that break down dead matter and
release nutrients.

Biosphere - The parts of Earth where life exists. The biosphere includes land, water, and air.
Example: The parts of Earth's crust, atmosphere, and oceans where life exists make up the
biosphere.

Ecosystem - A community of living organisms along with their physical environment. The
biosphere together with all organisms is an ecosystem.
Example: A forest with its living organisms and climate conditions is an ecosystem.

Ecology - The study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment.
Example: Studying how foxes hunt rabbits in a grassland is an example of ecology.

Activity 2: Concept Map