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Chapter 12 Study
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ecology | The study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. |
| Evolutionary Adaptations | The genetic adaptation of a population to its environment through evolution. |
| Parasitism | The type of symbiosis in which one partner, the parasite, derives benefit from the other, the host. |
| Abiotic | A non-living (physical or chemical) component of the environment. |
| Exponential Growth | Unrestricted population growth where the population grows at a faster rate with each successive generation. |
| Limiting Resources | An essential factor whose short supply limits the growth of a population. |
| Coevolution | The process in which one species evolves in response to another. |
| Mutualism | The type of symbiosis in which both partners benefit from the relationship. |
| Biotic | A living component of an environment. |
| Competition | The interaction that results when a resource is in short supply and one organism uses the resource at the expense of another. |
| Ecological Niche | The full range of ecological characteristics of a species, like its feeding habits, specific habitat, and reproductive strategy. |
| Benthic | Organisms that live on the bottom. |
| Subtidal | The bottom above the continental shelf. |
| Intertidal (littoral) zone | The area between the highest and lowest tide. |
| Abyssal | The bottom from a depth of approximately 4,000 m to 6,000 m. |
| Food Chain | The steps of transfer of energy from primary producers through consumers. |
| Trophic Pyramid | The pyramid-like relationship found in the pyramids of biomass, energy, and numbers of organisms in a food chain. |
| Trophic Level | Each of the steps in a food chain. |
| Biomass | The total mass of living organisms. |
| Food Web | All of the interconnecting feeding relationships in a community. |
| Detritus | Particles of dead organic matter. |
| Net Primary Production | The amount of organic carbon left over to fuel the food web after accounting for producer’s energetic needs. |
| Gross Primary Production | The total amount of organic carbon manufactured by primary producers. |
| Denitrification | The conversion of fixed nitrogen back to nitrogen gas. |