PRESENTATION OUTLINE
BIOSPHERE:
-"A portion of the surface of the earth where living things exist"
-example: air, water, & land; i.e., a rainforest
COMMENSALISM:
- "Symbiotic relationship in which one species is benefited and the other is neither harmed nor benefited"
-Example: Barnacles and whales. Barnacles are normally stationary creatures reliant upon water currents as a food source; by attaching to whales, they are able to obtain food more easily (no harm comes to the whales, nor do they benefit from the presence of the barnacles)
NICHE:
-"The way in which an organism fits into its ecological community or ecosystem (it's role)"
-example: Sunflower; absorbs light, water, and nutrients to perform photosynthesis but also provides food and shelter for other organisms.
HABITAT:
-"Place where an organism lives and is able to survive and reproduce"
-example: habitat of a white tailed deer is a wooded area.
MUTUALISM:
-"Symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit."
-Example: goby fish and shrimp; shrimp will make a burrow in the sand and both organisms will live there. Because the shrimp is nearly blind, the goby fish will touch the shrimp if a predator is near.
CARNIVORE:
-"Secondary or higher consumer in a food chain that, therefore, eats other animals."
-Example: lions prey on antelopes, zebras, and other animals living in its same environment.
CONSUMER:
-"Organism that feeds on another organism in a food chain; primary consumers eat plants, secondary consumers eat animals.
-Example: hedgehogs eat both vegetation and small insects, making them both primary and secondary consumers.
ECOSYSTEM:
-"Biological community together with the associated abiotic environment"
-Example: ocean ecosystem
HERBIVORE:
-"Primary consumer in a food chain; a plant eater."
-Example: giraffe; diet consists entirely of plants (pictured eating acacia leaves).
PRODUCER:
-"Photosynthetic organism at the start of a grazing food chain that makes its own food.
-Example: green land plants, algae on water.
