Biology Terms

Biotic Factors

The living parts of an ecosystem

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving, physical, and chemical parts of an ecosystem like air, rain, and soil.

Ecology

The study of the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors.

Organism

An individual living thing which can be made up of one cell, (unicellular)  or multiple cells, (multi-cellular).

Populations

A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same place, and can interbreed

Community

All of the populations that reside in a certain area.

Ecosystem

The community, also known as biotic factors, and abiotic factors in a given area.

Biosphere

The sum of every ecosystem on earth.

Food chain

A food chain is a chain of organisms that eat each other.

Producers

Organisms that create their own food through sunlight energy.

Consumers

Organisms that eat other organisms, ie: Primary Consumers, Secondary Consumers, etc.

Decomposers

Decomposers eat dead organisms.

Food web

Several food chains connected together

Food pyramid

A food web that is drawn so that all roles are on the same level. ie: primary consumers on the same level, all consumers are on the same level, etc.

Trophic level

A trophic level is one of the levels in the food pyramid, and it has organisms that perform a similar role in a food chain.

Matter + Energy Relationship

Matter cycles and doesn’t need to be constantly supplied to an ecosystem like energy

Exponential growth

Occurs when the graph of population is shaped like a J.

Logistic growth

Type of growth that occurs when a graph of population reaches a plateau

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size of a certain species that an environment can handle.

Limiting factors

Physical, chemical, and biological factors that keep populations under the carrying capacity.

Environmental resistance

All the limiting factors taken together.

Population density

the number of individuals per unit of area.

Density-dependent limiting factors

Limiting factors whose influence is not based on population density. These include floods, fires, and landslides.(natural disasters)

Density-independent limiting factors

Limiting factors whose influence is not based on population density. These include floods, fires, and landslides.(natural disasters)

Mutualism

Interaction between two organisms where they both benefit from each other.

Commensalism

An interaction between two organisms where one benefits and the other remains the same.

Parasitism

Interaction between two organisms where the first organism feeds on the second one, harming it, but not eating it.

Predator and Prey relationship

Interaction between two organisms where the first one eats the second.

Intraspecies competition

competition within the same species

Interspecies competition

competition between different species