Question | Answer |
biosphere | part of the earth that supports life |
ecosystem | consists of all the organisms living in an area |
ecology | study of interactions that occur among organisms and their environments |
population | made up of all organisms of the same species |
community | is all the populations of all species living in an ecosystem |
habitat | the place in which an organism lives |
ch 1 | sec 2 |
carrying capacity | the largest number of individuals of one species that an ecosystem can support |
limiting factors | any living or nonliving feature that restricts the number of individuals in a population |
population density | the size of a population that occupies a specific area |
competition | 2 or more organisms that seek the same nest |
biotic potential | highest rate of reproduction under ideal conditions |
exponential growth | the larger a population becomes, the faster it grows |
ch 1 | sec 3 |
producers | make their own food |
consumers | get food from eating other organisms |
symbiosis | close relationship between 2 species |
mutualism | relationship which both species benefit |
commensalism | relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected |
parasitism | relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is harmed |
niche | an organisms role in it's environment |
food chain | a model that shows the feeding among the organisms in an ecosystem |
predator | are consumers that capture and eat other consumers |
prey | the organism that is captured by the predator |
ch 2 | sec 3 |
chemosynthesis | the production of energy-rich nutrient molecules from chemicals |
food web | a model that shows all the possible feeding relationships among the organisms in a community |
energy pyramid | shows the amount of energy available at each feeding level in an ecosystem |