Adaptation to Environment and Ecological Niches Guided Notes

Adaptation

Any characteristic or trait that aids in an organism's survival.

Habitat

The specific place that an organism lives and interacts with its surroundings.

Abiotic factors

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms.

Biotic factors

Living components of the environment that affect organisms, such as other organisms.

Range of tolerance

Range of conditions that an organism can tolerate based on its adaptations.

Biome

Groups of similar ecosystems that share common abiotic and biotic factors.

Climatograph

A graph that shows the average temperature and rainfall over a period.

Niche

An organism's role in the ecosystem, including its habitat and interactions.

Competitive exclusion principle

No two species can occupy exactly the same niche at the same time.

Niche partitioning

Competing species use the environment differently in a way that helps them coexist.

Halophyte

A plant species that can survive in high salinity environments.

Pneumatophores

Aerial roots that provide a plant with oxygen in waterlogged soil.

Temperate seasonal forest

A biome characterized by an average temperature of 10°C and 100 cm of rain.

Savanna

A biome characterized by an average temperature of 30 degrees and 200 cm of rainfall.

Specialist species

Organisms that live in very specific conditions with highly specialized niches.

Generalist species

Organisms that can survive in a broader range of conditions.