Where Does it Belong? Biology Habitats, Niches, and Levels of Organization

Habitat

the natural environment where an organism lives, including physical and abiotic factors

4 factors that influence a habitat

other species, climate, population size, and terrain

Optimum range

environmental conditions that allow a species to survive and flourish

Zone of stress

conditions in which an organism can survive, but is under stress

Zone of intolerance

conditions in which an organism cannot survive

Lower/upper tolerance limit

the most extreme conditions an organism can survive

Are there more organisms in the zone of intolerance, zone of stress, or optimum range?

there are the most organisms in the optimum range, with fewer in the zone of stress and none in the zone of intolerance

Niche

A species' role in a community

Fundamental niche

the full range of conditions in which an organism could survive

Realized niche

a smaller part of the fundamental niche; interactions prevent organisms from existing in the whole niche

Biotic factors

living things that influence other organisms (Ex. prey species living nearby)

Abiotic factors

nonliving things that influence organisms (Ex. water)

What are the three population distributions?

Clumped, Uniform, Random

Random population distribution

organism exist with unequal spacing between them no relation to others (Ex. dandelions)

Clumped population distribution

organisms cluster in groups (Ex. herds of elephants at watering holes)

Uniform population distribution

organisms have equal space between them; sometimes represents territorial species (Ex. trees grow with space between them)

What are the levels of organization, from smallest to largest?

Cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes

What are cells?

the smallest unit of life

What are tissues?

cells of the same type that work together for a specific purpose

What are the four types of tissue in mammals?

epithelial, connective, muscle, nervous

What are organs?

groups of tissues that perform a specific function

What are populations?

groups of individuals of a single species in a specific area

What are communities?

all the populations in an area

What are ecosystems?

communities and their surrounding abiotic factors

What are biomes?

large geographic areas made of similar ecosystems with predictable climates