Species Interactions: Habitat, Niche, and Symbiosis Vocabulary

VOCABULARY flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on habitat, niche, competition, predation, and symbiosis.

Habitat

The actual place where an organism lives; includes both biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors.

Niche

The role of a species within its habitat, including the physical, chemical, and biological factors it needs to survive, stay healthy, and reproduce.

Biotic factors

Living components of an environment that affect organisms (plants, animals, microbes, etc.).

Abiotic factors

Nonliving physical or chemical components of an environment (temperature, water, sunlight, minerals, etc.).

Competition

Interaction where two or more organisms fight for the same resources; can occur within a species or between species.

Predation

A feeding relationship where one organism (the predator) hunts and consumes another (the prey).

Herbivory

A form of predation where herbivores eat producers, usually plants.

Symbiosis

Living together; close associations between two different species.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit (+/+).

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other is unaffected (+/0).

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the other (the host) (+/−).

Parasite

An organism that lives on or in a host and harms it, obtaining nutrients at the host's expense.

Host

The organism that harbors the parasite and is harmed by the parasitic relationship.

Predator

An organism that hunts, captures, and consumes other organisms.

Prey

An organism that is hunted and eaten by a predator.