Question | Answer |
limiting factor | any resource that restricts the growth of populations; ex. water, temperature, weather, space, predators |
carrying capacity | the greatest number of individuals within a population that an ecosystem can support |
habitat | the physical space where an organism lives and hunts for food; it's home |
niche | the special role that an organism plays in a community; it's job |
symbiosis | a relationship between two or more kinds of organisms that lasts over time |
mutualism | a symbiotic relationship that benefits both organisms |
commensalism | a symbiotic relationship that benefits one organism without harming the other |
parasitism | a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed |
adaptation | any characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment |
structural adaptation | an adjustment to internal or external structure that help an organism survive; ex. fur color, long limbs, strong jaws |
behavioral adaptations | an adjustment in an organism's behavior that helps an organism survive; ex. wolves traveling in packs, fish swimming in schools |
camouflage | any coloring, shape, or pattern that allows an organism to blend in with its environment |
protective coloration | a type of camouflage in which the color of an animal helps it blend in with its background; ex. a fox's white coat in winter |
protective resemblance | matching the color, shape, and texture of an environment; ex. a walking stick |
mimicry | an adaptation in which an animal is protected against predators by its resemblance to an unpleasant animal; ex. the non-poisonous viceroy butterfly looks just like the poisonous monarch butterfly |