Ch. 4 Key Terms Flashcards
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
biotic factor
living organism that shapes its environment.
abiotic factor
non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment.
organism
an 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
the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region.
community
interacting group of various species in a common location.
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.
evolution
the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations.
adaptation
a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.
artificial selection
the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals
resistance
the sum of the environmental factors
archaea
any of a group of single-celled prokaryotic organisms
bacteria
a member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus.
fungus
a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter
protist
a single-celled organism of the kingdom
gymnosperm
a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit.
angiosperm
are plants that produce flowers and bear their seeds in fruits.
invertebrate
an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom
vertebrate
an animal of a large group distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal column, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
