Ch. 4 Key Term

Question 1

Ecosystem

Answer 1

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Question 2

Biotic Factor

Answer 2

any living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem.

Question 3

abiotic factor

Answer 3

any nonliving component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem

Question 4

organism

Answer 4

a form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes.

Question 5

species

Answer 5

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.

Question 6

population

Answer 6

all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.

Question 7

community

Answer 7

an interacting group of various species in a common location.

Question 8

habitat

Answer 8

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Question 9

natural selection

Answer 9

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Question 10

evolution

Answer 10

the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

Question 11

adaption

Answer 11

the action or process of adapting or being adapted.

Question 12

artificial selection

Answer 12

is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits by choosing which typically animal or plant males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together.

Question 13

resistance

Answer 13

the sum of the environmental factors

Question 14

archaea

Answer 14

a domain of single-celled organisms.

Question 15

bacteria

Answer 15

a member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, including some which can cause disease.

Question 16

fungus

Answer 16

any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.

Question 17

protist

Answer 17

a single-celled organism of the kingdom Protista

Question 18

gymnosperm

Answer 18

a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit. Gymnosperms include the conifers, cycads, and ginkgo.

Question 19

angiosperm

Answer 19

a plant that has flowers and produces seeds enclosed within a carpel.

Question 20

invertebrate

Answer 20

an animal lacking a backbone

Question 21

vertebrate

Answer 21

an animal with a backbone