Ecology VST Flashcards
Abiotic
All of the physical factors that affect the organisms living in an environment: Water,
Soil, Light, and Temperature
Biotic
All the living organisms that interact and live together in an environment
Herbivore
A consumer that eats plants
Carnivore
A consumer that eats animals
Omnivore
A consumer that eats both plants and animals
Population
All of one type of species within an area
Community
All the living populations in an area
Ecosystem
All the living populations and the abiotic factors that affect them in an area.
Niche
The organism’s way of life within an ecosystem
Limiting Factors
When one or more resources become scarce (or limited)
Carrying Capacity
The largest population that a given environment can support over a long period of time
Competition
When two or more individuals or populations try to use the same limited resource
Symbiosis
A close long term association between two or more species in which at least one
organism benefits
Mutualism
A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit (+/+)
Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
(+/0)
