Chapter 6 Lesson 1 vocabulary

Habitat

An environment that provides the necessary conditions for organisms to live, grow, and reproduce.

Tolerance

The ability of an organism to endure varying environmental conditions without adverse effects.

Niche

The role or function of an organism within its habitat, including how it obtains resources and interacts with other organisms.

Resource

Any substance or object that can be used by an organism for growth, survival, or reproduction, such as food, water, shelter, or space.

competitive exclusion principle

The concept that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist at constant population values; one species will outcompete the other.

keystone species

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, playing a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecosystem.

symbiosis

A close and long-term biological interaction between two different species that can benefit one or both.

commensalism

A type of symbiosis where one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed.

mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both species benefit from the interaction.

parasitism

A type of symbiosis where one species benefits at the expense of the other, often harming it in the process.