Ch. 8 Key Terms Flashcards
population
all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
density
the degree of compactness of a substance.
dispersion
the action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area.
growth rate
the rate, or speed, at which the number of organisms in a population increases.
reproductive potential
the relative capacity of a species to reproduce itself under optimum conditions.
exponential growth
growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size.
carrying capacity
the number or quantity of people or things that can be conveyed or held by a vehicle or container.
niche
a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.
competition
the activity or condition of competing.
predation
the preying of one animal on others.
parasitism
the practice of living as a parasite in or on another organism.
mutualism
the doctrine that mutual dependence is necessary to social well-being.
commensalism
an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
symbiosis
interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.
