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chapter 12 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecology | The study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. |
| evolutionary adaptation | The genetic adaptation of a population to its environment through evolution. |
| carrying capacity | The maximum population size that can be sustained by the available resources in a given environment. |
| competitive exclusion | The elimination of one species by another as a result of competition. |
| trophic cascade | When changes in the abundance of an organism result in changes at other trophic levels of the food chain. |
| inducible defense | Defense mechanism that an organism uses only in response to predators. |
| 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 resource | An essential factor whose short supply limits the growth of a population. |
| resource partitioning | The sharing of resources by specialization. |
| stabilizing selection | Natural selection that acts against individuals with extreme expression of a trait. |
| 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. |
| logistic growth | Population growth that is constrained by biotic or abiotic factors such as competition or nutrients. |
| 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. |
| directional selection | Natural selection that favors extreme expression of a trait. |
| commensal | A symbiotic relationship in which one species obtains shelter, food, or other benefits without affecting the other, or host. |
| recruitment | The entry of young individuals into a population or, in fisheries biology, into a fished stock. |