ecology definitions Flashcards
abiotic factors
the non-living aspects of an ecosystem (wind, temperature, water)
adaptation
a feature of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its environment
biodiversity
the variety of genes, species and habitats in a particular area
biotic factors
the living components of an ecosystem (food availability, pathogens, predators)
carrying capacity
maximum stable size of a population that can be supported by an ecosystem
climax community
consists of animals and plants which have established equilibrium
community
all of the populations of all species living together in a habitat
conservation
maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity by humans in order to preserve the earths resources
directional selection
type of selection that favours one extreme phenotype and selects against all other phenotypes
disruptive selection
a type of selection that favours individuals with extreme phenotypes and selects against others with phenotypes close to the mean
ecosystem
all of the organisms in a community and the abiotic conditions in the area where they live
habitat
the region where an organism usually lives
interspecific competition
type of competition that takes place with different species
intraspecific competition
type of competition that takes place within the same species
natural selection
process by which individuals with advantageous alleles are more likely to survive and pass on alleles to offspring, increasing frequency of alleles
niche
how an organisms ‘fits’ into an ecosystem and its role withtin that environment
pioneer species
species that can survive in hostile environments and colonise bare newly exposed land
population
all organisms of one species living in a habitat at the same time
predator
organism that eats other organisms
prey
organism that is eaten by predators
species
group of similar organisms that are able to breed with one another to produce another living offspring
stabilising selection
type of selection that favours individuals with phenotypes close to the mean, selects against extreme phenotypes
succession
gradual change in a community over time
variation
the differences between individuals due to genes, the environment or a combination of both
primary succession
when organisms colonise a lifeless habitat
secondary succession
when organisms recolonise a devastated ecosystem
