chapter 4 Flashcards
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.\
biotic factor
as any living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem.
abiotic factor
a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. In a terrestrial ecosystem,
organism
an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form
species
a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
population
all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
community
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
habitat
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
natural selection
the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
evolution
the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
adaption
the action or process of adapting or being adapted.
artifical selection
is the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals,
resistance
an act or instance of resisting
archaea
a domain of single-celled organisms
bacteria
a member of a large group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, including some that can cause disease.
fungus
any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.
protist
a single-celled organism of the kingdom Protista, such as a protozoan or simple alga.
gymnosperm
a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit. Gymnosperms include the conifers, cycads, and ginkgo.
angiosperm
a plant that has flowers and produces seeds enclosed within a carpel. The angiosperms are a large group and include herbaceous plants, shrubs, grasses, and most trees.
invertebrate
an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla.
vertebrate
an animal of a large group distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal column, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.
