Ch. 4 Key Terms

Question 1

ecosystem

Answer 1

is all of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.

Question 2

biotic factors

Answer 2

All of the organisms, including animals, fungi, bacteria, and plants are called

Question 3

abiotic factors

Answer 3

are the nonliving parts of the ecosystem, including air, water,rocks, sand, light, and temperature

Question 4

organism

Answer 4

is an individual living thing

Question 5

species

Answer 5

is a group of organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring.

Question 6

population

Answer 6

is a group of the same species that live in the sameplace.

Question 7

community

Answer 7

a group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other.

Question 8

habitat

Answer 8

The place an organism lives is called its

Question 9

natural selection

Answer 9

the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce with more success than less well adapted individuals do.

Question 10

evolution

Answer 10

A change in the genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next is known as

Question 11

adaptation

Answer 11

an inherited trait that increases an organism’s chanc e of survival and reproduction in a certain environment

Question 12

artificial breeding

Answer 12

The selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific characteristics is called

Question 13

Resistance

Answer 13

is the ability of one or more organisms to tolerate a par-ticular chemical designed to kill it

Question 14

Archaea

Answer 14

They are microscopic, unicellular organisms that usually have cell walls and reproduce by dividing in half. Unlike members of the domain Eukarya, they lack nuclei.

Question 15

Bacteria

Answer 15

are very common and can be found in many places, including soil and animal bodies

Question 16

fungus

Answer 16

is an organism whose cells have nuclei and cell walls. A mushroom is the reproductive structure of a fungus

Question 17

Protists

Answer 17

are a diverse group of both unicellular and multicellular organisms

Question 18

Gymnosperms

Answer 18

are woody plants that produce seeds,but their seeds are not enclosed in fruits.

Question 19

angiosperms

Answer 19

flowering plants that produce seeds in fruit.

Question 20

invertebrates

Answer 20

Animals that lack backbones

Question 21

vertebrates

Answer 21

Animals that have backbones are called