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science chapter 4
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecology | the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their environments |
| species | a group of individuals that interbreed and produce fertile offspring |
| population | the members of a species that live in the same area |
| community | all of the population in a particular area |
| ecosystem | all living things and their physical environments within a particular area |
| biotic factor | any part of an ecosystem that is living or used to be living |
| abiotic factor | any part of an ecosystem that has never been living |
| habitat | the specific environment in which an organism lives |
| resource | anything an organism needs includes nutrition, shelter, mates, and breeding sites |
| population size | the number of individual organisms present in a population at a given time |
| population density | the number of individuals in a population per unit of area |
| population distribution | how organisms are arranged within an area sometimes called population dispersion |
| age structure | the relative number of organisms of each age within a population also called age distribution |
| age structure diagram | a chart that shows the age distribution of a population also called age pyramid |
| sex radio | the proportion of males to females in a population |
| survivorship curve | a graph showing the likelihood of survival within a group of population by age |
| immigration | the movement of individuals to a given area |
| emigration | the movement of individuals away from a given area |
| migration | the seasonal movement of organisms into and out of an area |
| exponential growth | the pattern of population growth in which a population increases by fixed percentage each year |
| limiting factor | a characteristic of the environment that restricts population growth |
| carrying capacity | the largest population a given environment can support |
| logistic growth | the pattern of population growth in which exponential growth is slowed and finally stopped by limiting factors |
| density-dependent factor | a limiting factor whose influence changes with population density includes completion, predation, and disease |
| density-independent factors | a limiting factor whose influence is not affected by population density, includes catastrophic events |
| biotic potential | the growth rate of a population under ideal conditions |