Ecology defintions

Abiotic

Nonliving parts of an environment, like water, sunlight, air, and rocks.

Biotic

Living or once-living parts of an environment, like plants, animals, and bacteria.

Niche

The role or job an organism has in its ecosystem.

Organism

A single living thing.

Population

A group of the same species living in the same area.

Community

All the different populations living together in one area.

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their nonliving environment interacting together.

Biome

A large region with a certain climate and types of living things, like deserts or rainforests.

Biodiversity

The variety of living things in an area.

Ecological Equivalent

Different species living in different places that have similar roles in their ecosystems.

Food Chain

A simple path showing how energy moves from one organism to another.

Keystone Species

A species that has a major effect on its ecosystem even if there are not many of them.

Carrying Capacity

The largest population an environment can support.

Habitat

The natural place where an organism lives.

Exponential Growth

Rapid population growth where numbers increase faster over time.

Logistic Growth

Population growth that slows down as it reaches carrying capacity.

Interspecific Competition

Competition between different species for resources.

Intraspecific Competition

Competition among members of the same species for resources.

Predation

An interaction where one organism hunts and eats another organism.

Symbiosis

A close relationship between two different species.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both species benefit.

Commensalism

A type of symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is unaffected.

Parasitism

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits while the other is harmed.

Limiting Factor

Anything that restricts the size of a population, like food, water, or space.

Food Web

A network of connected food chains in an ecosystem.