ecology flashcards pt.2

population

a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same geographic area at the same time and are capable of interbreeding

communities

a group of different species populations that live and interact in the same place at the same time

ecosystem

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical, non-living environment

prey

any organism that is hunted, killed, and consumed by another organism (the predator) for food and nutrition

prey example

snowshoe hare by canadian lynx

family

a major taxonomic rank in the classification of organisms that sits between order and genus

food web

a complex network of many intersecting and overlapping food chains that shows how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem

example of competition

red deer fighting

density dependent

any factor limiting the size of a population who’s affect is dependent on the number of individuals in the population

example of density dependent

disease

density independent

any factor limiting the size of a population whose affect is not dependent on the number of individuals in the population

density independent example

natural diseaster