Ch 4 key Flashcards
Ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Biotic factors
Biotic components, or biotic factors, can be described as any living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem.
Abiotic factor
An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment.
Organism
n individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Species
a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.
Population
all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
Community
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Habitat
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Natural selection
the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.
Evolution
In biology, evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection.
Adaptations
the action or process of adapting or being adapted.
“the adaptation of teaching strategy to meet students’ needs”
Artificial selection
Artificial selection is the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals, and the steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations.
Resistances
the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.
“she put up no resistance to being led away”
Archaea
Archaea are microorganisms that define the limits of life on Earth. They were originally discovered and described in extreme environments, such as hydrothermal vents and terrestrial hot springs.
Bacteria
Bacteria are small single-celled organisms. Bacteria are found almost everywhere on Earth and are vital to the planet’s ecosystems. Some species can live under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure.
Fungus
A fungal infection, also called mycosis, is a skin disease caused by a fungus. There are millions of species of fungi. They live in the dirt, on plants, on household surfaces, and on your skin.
Protist
A protist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, plant, or fungus. While it is likely that protists share a common ancestor, the exclusion of other eukaryotes means that protists do not form a natural group, or clade.
Gymnosperm
a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit. Gymnosperms include the conifers, cycads, and ginkgo
Angiosperms
a plant that has flowers and produces seeds enclosed within a carpel. The angiosperms are a large group and include herbaceous plants, shrubs, grasses, and most trees.
Invertebrates
an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla.
Vertebrates
an animal of a large group distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal column, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
