Ch. 8 Key Terms

Question 1

population

Answer 1

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

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

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

Answer 5

maximum 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 successive time period

Question 7

carrying capacity

Answer 7

largest population than an environment can support at any given time

Question 8

niche

Answer 8

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

Question 9

competition

Answer 9

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

Question 10

predation

Answer 10

an interaction between 2 organisms in which one organism, the predator, kills and feeds on the organism, the prey

Question 11

parasitism

Answer 11

a relationship between 2 species in which 1 species, the parasite benefits other species the host, which is harmed

Question 12

mutualism

Answer 12

a relationship between 2 species in which both species benefit

Question 13

commensalism

Answer 13

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

Question 14

symbolism

Answer 14

a relationship in which 2 different organisms live in close association with each other