part of earth that contains ecosystems

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

All the different populations that live together in an area

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

An individual living thing

A characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

First and largest category used to classify organisms

subdivition of a kingdon

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

kingdom of unicellular prokaryotes whose cell walls do not contain peptidoglycan

true bacteria

A eukaryotic organism that cannot be classified as an animal, plant, or fungus.

An organism that absorbs nutrients from the environment.

An invertebrate animal that uses stinging cells to capture food and defend itself.

Slimy animals, no skin or vertebra & no shells.

invertrebate worms

An invertebrate that has an external skeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages.

A member of a group of slow moving or sessile marine animals characterized by a rough or spiny skin, a water vascular system, an endoskeleton, and a radial symmetry in adults, with examples such as sea stars, sea urchins and sand dollars

an animal phylum that has a notochord, a dorsal hollow nerve cord, and gill slits at some time in its life cycle

an organism that does photosynthesis, is multi-cellular and has cell walls

multicellular heterotrophic organisms that lack cell walls

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

this category includes organisms that consume producers (plants and algae).

carnivores that eat primary consumers

an organism that eats secondary consumers as well as organic material; the top level of the energy pyramid

meat eaters

eat both plants and animals

Consumers that eat only plants

Non-living

living things

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

Animals that have hair and produce milk for their young

May or may not fly, with vertebra, lay eggs, have feathers

vertebrates that live on land, scales cover body, lay eggs, cold blooded

able to live both on land and in water

An ectothermic vertebrate that lives in the water and has fins.

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

a symbiotic relationship in which 1 organism benefits but the other is harmed

An instrument that makes small objects look larger

every non genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us