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Word List with 45 words
By Dictionary.com

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Words in This List

food chain

a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.

niche

the position or function of an organism in a community of plants and animals

ecosystem

a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment

succession

the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established

colony

a group of organisms of the same kind living or growing in close association

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secondary consumer

a carnivore that feeds only upon herbivores in the food chain

desertification

the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions caused by natural or human factors

decomposer

an organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances

food web

a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community

tertiary consumer

a carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers

amensalism

a relationship between two species in which the individuals of one species adversely affect those of the other and are unaffected themselves

trophic level

any class of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain, such as primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers

detritivore

an organism that uses organic waste as a food source, such as certain insects

food pyramid

successive levels of predation in a food chain represented as a pyramid, the upper levels normally consist of decreasing numbers of larger predators

montane

pertaining to, growing in, or inhabiting mountainous regions

primary consumer

a classification in the food chain of an animal that feeds on plants; a herbivore

oligotrophic

of a lake, a low accumulation of dissolved nutrient salts with sparse growth of algae, and having a high oxygen content owing to low organic content

megafauna

land animals of a given area that can be seen with the unaided eye

ecotone

the transition zone between two different plant communities, as that between forest and prairie

ecosphere

the planetary ecosystem, including all the earth's living organisms and their physical environment; biosphere

noosphere

the biosphere including and modified by such human activities as agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, urbanization, and industrialization

open space

undeveloped land that is protected from development by legislation

population pressure

the force exerted by a growing population upon its environment, resulting in dispersal or reduction of the population

biotope

a portion of a habitat characterized by uniformity in climate and distribution of biotic and abiotic components, as a tidal pool or a forest canopy

Batesian mimicry

the protective resemblance of a palatable or harmless species to an unpalatable or dangerous species that is usually avoided by predators

euryphagous

describing an animal able to subsist on a wide variety of foods

ecotype

a subspecies that is especially adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions

periphyton

the community of tiny organisms, as protozoans, hydras, insect larvae, and snails, that lives on the surfaces of rooted aquatic plants

home range

the area in which an animal normally lives

limivorous

pertaining to animals, usually worms or bivalves, that ingest earth or mud to extract the organic matter from it

edge effect

the tendency toward greater variety and density of plant and animal populations in an ecotone

ecocatastrophe

a disaster caused by changes in the environment

eurybathic

pertaining to marine or freshwater life that can tolerate a wide range of depths

stenophagous

describing an animal feeding on a limited variety of foods

predation pressure

the effect of predation upon a population, resulting in the decrease in size of that population

stenobathic

pertaining to marine or freshwater life that can tolerate only limited changes in depth

biomass

the amount of living matter in a given habitat expressed as the weight of organisms per unit area or as volume of organisms per unit volume of habitat

buffer

an animal population that becomes the prey of a predator that usually feeds on a different species

climax

the stable and self-perpetuating end stage in the ecological succession or evolution of a plant and animal community

codominant

being one of two or more species that are equally dominant in a biotic community

environment

the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time

pot-valiant

brave only as a result of being drunk.

polo

a game played on horseback between two teams, each of four players, the object being to score points by driving a wooden ball into the opponents' goal using a long-handled mallet.

grippe

influenza.

teat

the protuberance on the breast or udder in female mammals, except the monotremes, through which the milk ducts discharge; nipple or mammilla.