6.1 Flashcards
habitat
area where an organism lives including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it
tolerance
ability of an organism to survive and reproduce under circumstances that differ from their optimal conditions
niche
full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
resource
any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space
competitive exclusion principle
principle that states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
keystone species
single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community
symbiosis
relationship in which two species live close together
commenalsim
symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
mutualism
symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship
parasitism
a symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it
ecological sucsesion
series of gradual changes that occur in a community following a disturbance
primary suscesion
succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous community is present
pioneer species
first species to populate an area during succession
secondary succsesion
type of succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbances
biodiversity
the total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere; also called biological diversity