Studied by 2 people
Ecology
Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Habitat
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Biome
A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms
Community
All the different populations that live together in an area
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Abiotic Factors
Nonliving components of environment.
Biotic Factors
All the living organisms that inhabit an environment
carrying capacity
Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support
Limiting Factors
Conditions in the environment that put limits on where an organism can live
climax community
A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time
Pioneer Species
First species to populate an area during primary succession
primary succession
An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed
secondary succession
Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil
logistic growth
Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth
exponential growth
Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate
predator
An animal that hunts other animals for food
density dependent factors
A limiting factor of a population wherein large, dense populations are more strongly affected than small, less crowded ones.
density-independent factors
limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size
mutualistic
both organisms benefit
Commensalism
Relationship where one organisms benefits, the other isn't effected
Parasitism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
symbiotic relationship
close interaction between species in which one species lives in or on the other
niche
Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
population density
A measurement of the number of people per given unit of land
prey
An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
competition
the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources
host
an animal or plant that nourishes and supports a parasite
Autotroph
An organism that makes its own food
Heterotroph
organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer
food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
food web
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
trophic level
Each step in a food chain or food web
Biomass
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
carbon cycle
The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again
water cycle
The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back
nitrogen cycle
The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere
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