Unit 8 Topic 1-3 (AP BIO)

Ecology

The study of the interactions between organisms and the environment.

Abiotic factors

Nonliving components of an environment, such as temperature, water, light, nutrients, and soil types.

Biotic factors

Living (or once living) components of an environment, including all organisms present.

Organism

A living thing, which includes plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living together in the same geographic area.

Community

Groups of populations of different species that inhabit a particular area.

Ecosystem

All of the abiotic factors and the entire community of species in a certain area.

Biosphere

The entire planet and all the ecosystems found on Earth.

Habitat

The place or part of an ecosystem that an organism occupies.

Niche

The role of an organism within its ecosystem, including interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.

Population Size (N)

The number of individuals that live in a population.

Birth Rate (B)

The rate at which individuals are born into a population.

Death Rate (D)

The rate at which individuals die in a population.

Immigration

The movement of new individuals into a population.

Emigration

The movement of individuals out of a population.

Population Growth Formula

dN/dt = change in population size over change in time (growth rate).

Ecology

The study of the interactions between organisms and the environment.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving components of the environment, such as temperature, water, light, nutrients, and soil types.

Biotic Factors

Living (or once living) components of the environment, including all organisms present.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain.

Logistic Growth

Population growth that slows as the population approaches carrying capacity, producing an S-shaped curve.

Exponential Growth

Unrestricted population growth resulting in a J-shaped curve, where the growth rate increases over time.

Density-dependent Limiting Factors

Factors that affect the growth rate of a population based on its density.

Density-independent Limiting Factors

Factors that reduce population growth regardless of the population density.

Symbiosis

A long-term interaction between two species, which can have positive or negative effects.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit (+/+ interaction).

Parasitism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits at the expense of another (+/- interaction).

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed (+/0 interaction).