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Chapter 4 Lessons 1-
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecology | the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environments |
| species | a 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 | all of the living things and their physical environments within a particular area |
| 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 have never been living |
| habitat | the specific environment in which an organism lives |
| resource | anything an organism needs, 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 an area |
| age structure | 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 | proportions of males to females |
| survivorship curves | graphs population ecologists use to show how the likelihood of death varies with age |
| immigration | the arrival of individuals 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 | the largest population size a given environment can sustainably support |
| logistic growth | describes how a population's 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 is not affected by population density |
| biotic potential | maximum ability to produce offspring in ideal conditions |