Chapter 4 Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

ecosystem

A

a community of organisms and their abiotic environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

biotic factor

A

an environmental factor that is associated with or results from the activities of living organisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

abiotic factor

A

describes the non-living part of the environment, including water, rocks, light, and temperature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

organism

A

a living thing; anything that can carry out life processes independently

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

species

A

a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring; also the level of classification below genus and above subspecies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

population

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

community

A

a group of various species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

habitat

A

the place where an organism usually lives

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

natural selection

A

the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

evolution

A

a heritable change in the characteristics within a population from one generation to them next; the development of new types of organisms from preexisting types of organisms over time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

adaptation

A

the process of becoming adapted to an environment; an anatomical, physiological, or behavioral change that improves a population’s ability to survive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

artificial selection

A

the selective breeding of organ-isms (by humans) for specific desirable characteristics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

resistance

A

in biology, the ability of an organism to tolerate a chemical or disease-causing agent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

archaea

A

prokaryotes that are distinguished from other prokaryotes by differences in their genetics and in the makeup of their cell wall; members of the domain Archaea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

bacteria

A

extremely small, single-celled organisms that usually have a cell wall and reproduce by cell division

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

fungus

A

an organism whose cells have nuclei, rigid cell walls, and no chlorophyll and that belongs to the kingdom Fungi

17
Q

protist

A

an organism that belongs to the kingdom Protista

18
Q

gymnosperm

A

a woody vascular seed plant whose seeds are not enclosed by an ovary or fruit

19
Q

angiosperm

A

a flowering plant that produces seeds within a fruit

20
Q

invertebrate

A

an animal that does not have a backbone

21
Q

vertebrate

A

an animal that has a backbone; includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish