Ch. 8 Key Terms

Question 1

population

Answer 1

a group of organisms the same species that live in a specific geographical area and interbreeed

Question 2

density

Answer 2

the number of individuals of the same species that live in a given unit of area

Question 3

dispersion

Answer 3

in ecology, the pattern of distribution of organisms in a population

Question 4

growth rate

Answer 4

an expression of the increase in the size of an organism or population over a given period of time

Question 5

reproductive potential

Answer 5

the maxixmum number of offspring that a given organism can produce

Question 6

exponential growth

Answer 6

logarithmic growth, or growth in which numbers increase by a certain factor in each successsive time period

Question 7

carrying capacity

Answer 7

the largest population that an envirounment can support at any given time

Question 8

nicche

Answer 8

the unique position occupied by a species, both in terms of its physical use of its habitat and its function withing an ecological community

Question 9

competition

Answer 9

the relationship between two species in which both species attempt to use the same limited resource such that both are negatively affected by the relationship.

Question 10

predation

Answer 10

an intercation between two organisms in which one organism, the predator, kills and feeds on other organism, the prey.

Question 11

parisitism

Answer 11

a reltionship between two species in which one species, the parasite benefits from the other species, the host, which is harmed.

Question 12

mutualism

Answer 12

a relationship between two species in which both species benefits

Question 13

commensalism

Answer 13

a relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 14

symbiosis

Answer 14

a relationship in which two different organism live close association with each other.