Biology Exam 4

Ecosystem

Community of living
organisms & their interactions with their
abiotic (nonliving) environment

Equilibrium

steady state of an ecosystem
where all organisms are in balance with
their environment & with each other

• Resistance

ability of an ecosystem to
remain at equilibrium in spite of
disturbances

• Resilience

the speed at which an
ecosystem recovers equilibrium after
being disturbed

species diversity

the varitey of different kinds of organsims in the community

trophic structure

feeding relationships between organisms

Species richness

the total number of
different species in the community

• Relative abundance

the proportion each
species represents of the total individuals in
the community

food chains

Describes a linear sequence of organisms
through which nutrients and energy pass

trophic level