chapter 3/4 vocab quiz Flashcards
ecology
the study of interactions among organisms between organisms and their environment
population
groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
community
groups of populations in an area (includes different species)
autotrophs
producers
heterotrophs
consumers
trophic levels
each step in the food web or chain
biomass
living tissues
nitrogen fixation
the process by which atmospheric nitrogen gas is converted into ammonia
climate
average, year after year
denitrification
nitrate to nitrite by microorganisms in anaerobic conditions
limiting nutrient
a single nutrient that is limiting growth in an ecosystem
biotic factors
biological influences on an ecosystem
weather
day to day
abiotic factors
physical or non-living factors that shape an ecosystem
habitat
the area in which an organism lives
niche
the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
competitive exclusion principle
no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
symbiosis
any relationship in which two species live closely together
ecological succession
the series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time
pioneer
the first species to populate an area
