Ecology Glossary

A nonliving physical or chemical component of the environment, such as temperature, sunlight, water, wind, or soil composition.

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, measured at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.

The pathway by which a chemical element or molecule moves through the biotic and abiotic compartments of Earth, such as the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles.

The increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxin, in the tissues of organisms at successively higher trophic levels.

A large-scale community of organisms classified primarily by the dominant vegetation and characterized by regional climate patterns.

A living component of an ecosystem that influences other organisms, including predators, prey, competitors, parasites, and decomposers.

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely given the available resources.

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

All the populations of different species living and interacting in a particular area at a given time.

An organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down dead organic material and recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem.

The role and position a species occupies in its environment, encompassing its habitat, diet, activity patterns, and interactions with other species.

The gradual process by which the species composition of a community changes over time following a disturbance or the formation of new habitat.

A system formed by the interactions of a community of living organisms with the nonliving components of their environment.

The enrichment of a body of water with excessive nutrients, often leading to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and loss of aquatic life.

A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains showing the complex feeding relationships within an ecosystem.

The natural environment in which an organism lives, characterized by its physical features and dominant plant species.

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.

A symbiotic interaction between two species in which both organisms benefit from the relationship.

The biological or chemical process of converting atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia or related compounds usable by plants.

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of the host organism.

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time and capable of interbreeding.

An autotrophic organism, typically a plant or alga, that produces organic compounds from sunlight or chemical energy, forming the base of the food web.

A close and long-term biological interaction between two different species, which may be mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic.

An ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators, causing reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through the food web.

The position an organism occupies in a food chain, defined by the number of energy-transfer steps to that level from the primary producers.