Ecology Chapter 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about ecology.

Ecology

The scientific study of how organisms affect—and are affected by—other organisms and their environment.

Biotic

Living organisms within an environment.

Abiotic

Non-living components of the environment (e.g., water, atmosphere, soil).

Biosphere

The highest level in life's hierarchy of organization in ecology.

Ecosystem

A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Community

An interacting group of various species in a common location.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living and interbreeding within a given area.

Organism

An individual living thing.

Annual Production

The amount of new organic material produced in an ecosystem per year.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment.

Correlation

A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.

Causation

The relationship between cause and effect.

Biological Indicators

Species that can be used to monitor the health of an environment or ecosystem.

Descriptive Science

A category of science that involves observation, recording, description, and categorization of subjects.

Hypothesis-based science

A branch of science that poses a specific question or problem and then tries to answer that question using various tests.