Ecological niches

Biological Species

Organisms that share enough genetic similarity to interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile offspring.

Viable Offspring

Offspring that are capable of living and reproducing.

Fertile Offspring

Offspring that have the ability to sexually reproduce.

Tigon

A hybrid offspring of a male tiger and a female lion.

Liger

A hybrid offspring of a male lion and a female tiger.

Asexual Reproduction

A mode of reproduction where an organism creates a clone of itself.

Ecological Niche

The role a species plays within its ecosystem.

Fundamental Niche

The entire set of conditions under which an organism can survive and reproduce.

Realised Niche

The set of conditions actually used by a given organism due to interactions with other species.

Niche Differentiation

The process by which competing species use the environment differently to coexist.

Competitive Exclusion

The principle that one species will outcompete another for resources, leading to local extinction of the weaker competitor.

Resource Partitioning

The way in which two species alter their use of the niche to reduce competition.

Obligate Aerobes

Organisms that require a continuous oxygen supply and only live in oxic environments.

Obligate Anaerobes

Organisms that are inhibited or killed by oxygen and only live in anoxic environments.

Facultative Anaerobes

Organisms that use oxygen if available but can survive without it.

Trophic Level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain.

Producers

Organisms that synthesize organic materials from inorganic sources.

Primary Consumers

Organisms that feed on producers.

Autotrophic Nutrition

Nutrition synthesized by organisms from inorganic sources.

Heterotrophic Nutrition

Nutrition derived by consuming organic matter.

Saprotrophic Nutrition

Nutrition where organisms absorb externally digested organic matter.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead organic material.

Detritivores

Organisms that obtain nutrients from detritus through internal digestion.

Saprotrophs

Organisms that obtain nutrients from dead organisms through external digestion.

Mixotrophic Nutrition

A type of nutrition where organisms can perform both photosynthesis and heterotrophy.

Population

An interacting group of individual organisms of the same species living in a given area.

Community

A group of populations living together in an area and interacting with each other.

Symbiosis

Any close, long-term biological interaction between two different organisms.

Obligatory Symbiosis

A type of symbiosis that is essential for the survival of at least one species.

Facultative Symbiosis

A type of symbiosis beneficial to at least one organism but not essential for survival.

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one species benefits at the expense of the other.

Pathogenicity

The capacity of one species to cause disease in another.

Predation

A type of interaction where one species kills and consumes another.

Herbivory

A type of interaction where consumers feed on producers.

Intraspecific Competition

Competition among individuals of the same species for limited resources.

Cooperation

Interactions among individuals of the same species that benefit all involved.

Natural Selection

The process through which certain traits become more common in a population due to the survival and reproductive advantage they confer.