Florida Science Comprehensive Course Chapter 12

the parts of Earth and the surrounding atmosphere where there is life

biosphere

a group of organisms that lives in an area at one time

ecosystems

all the populations of different species that live together at the same time

community

all the organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time

population

the demand for resources

competition

anything that restricts the size of a population

limiting factors

the size of a population compared to the amount of space available

population density

the potential growth of a population if it had no limiting factors

biotic potential

the largest number of individuals an environment can support

carrying capacity

when the size of a population gets larger than the carrying capacity of its ecosystem

overpopulation

the number of offspring produced over a given time period

birthrate

the number of individuals that die over the same time period

death rate

when a population is in ideal conditions it grows up in this pattern

exponential growth

a species that has died out and no individuals are left

extinct species

a species whose population is at risk of extinction

endangered species

a species which has few of its kind left in the wild

threatened species

the instinctive seasonal movement of a population of organisms from one place to another

migration

the place within an ecosystem where an organism lives

habitat

what a species does in its habitat to survive

niche

organisms that use an outside energy source to produce their own food

producers

organisms that make their own food

producer

a simple model that shows how energy moves from a producer to one of more consumers

food chain

consume the bodies of dead organisms and wastes produced by living organisms

detritivores

a model of energy transfer that can show how the food chains in a community are interconnected

food web

a close, long-term relationship between two species that usually involves an exchange of food or energy

symbiosis

a symbiotic relationship that benefits one species but doesn’t harm or benefit the other

commensalism

a symbiotic relationship in which both partners benefit

mutualism

a symbiotic relationship that helps one partner but harms the other

parasitism