Earth's Systems Flashcards
System
a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network.
Feedback
information about reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.
Model
a person or thing regarded as an excellent example of a specified quality.
Biosphere
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms.
Ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Biome
a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat
Organism
an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Population
a community of animals, plants, or humans among whose members interbreeding occurs.
Biotic Factor
relating to or resulting from living things, especially in their ecological relations.
Abiotic Factor
a nonliving condition or thing, as climate or habitat, that influences or affects an ecosystem and the organisms in it
Community
a locality inhabited by such a group
Habitat
the place where a person or thing is usually found
Niche
a distinct segment of a market.
Biodiversity
biological diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment
Keystone Species
A species whose presence and role within an ecosystem has a disproportionate effect on other organisms within the system.
Exponential Growth
growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size
Logistic Growth
population increase that happens in a manner that starts slowly, as there are few individuals
Carrying Capacity
the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation
Density Dependent
any force that affects the size of a population of living things
Density Independent
factors are typically a physical factor of the environment, unrelated to the size of the population in question
Population Density
the number of population per unit of total land area of a country
Emigration
the act of leaving one’s own country to settle permanently in another; moving abroad
Disturbance
the interruption of a settled and peaceful condition
Resilience
the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness
Resistance
the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument
Ecological Succession
the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time
