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chapter 4 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ecology | the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment |
| species | group of individuals that interbreed and produce fertile offspring |
| population | members of a species that live in the same area at the same time |
| community | all of the populations in a particular area |
| ecosystem | includes all living and nonliving things |
| biosphere | includes all parts of earth that host life with all of its organisms and environments |
| biotic factors | parts of an ecosystem that are living or used to be living |
| abiotic factors | parts of an ecosystem that has never been living |
| habitat | the specific environment in which an organism lives in |
| resource | is anything an organism need, including nutrition, shelter, breeding sites, and mates. |
| population size | the number of individual organisms present in a given population at a given time |
| population density | the number of individuals within a population per unit area |
| population distribution | describes how organisms are arranged within a area |
| age structure | describe the relative numbers of organisms of each age within a population |
| age structure diagrams | visual tools scientists use to show the age structure of populations |
| sex ratio | proportion of males to females |
| survivorship curves | shows how the likelihood of death varies with age |
| immigration | the arrival of individual from outside a given area |
| emigration | the departure of individuals from a given area |
| migration | a seasonal movement into and out of an area |
| exponential growth | when a population increases by a fixed percentage each year |
| limiting factors | Characteristics of the environment that limit population growth |
| carrying capacity | is the largest population size a given environment can sustainably support |
| logistic growth | how a populations initial exponential increase is slowed and finally stopped by limiting factors |
| Density dependent factor | limiting factors whose influence changes with population density |
| Density independent factor | limiting factors whose influence isn't affected by its populations density |
| biotic potential | maximum ability to produce offspring in ideal condition |