Populations and communities Definitions Flashcards
Species
a group of organisms with similar characteristics that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Population
a group of individual organisms of the same species living in a given area
Sampling error
the difference between the sample statistic and the equivalent value(i.e. true value) for the whole population
Standard deviation
a measure of the amount of variation of the values of a variable in relation to its mean
Sessile
(of an organism) fixed to one place - immovable
Carrying capacity
the maximum population size that an environment can support
Density-independent factors
factors which have the same effect regardless of population size
Density-dependent factors
factors which have an increasing effect as a population becomes larger
Community
a group of populations living together in an area and interacting with each other
Intraspecific relationship
a relationship that exists between individuals of the same species
Ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their abiotic environment
Habitat
the environment in which a species normally lives or the location of an organism
Transect
a line through part of the environment showing a range of different habitats
Extrapolation
the process of making predictions based on current or past data
Quadrat
a frame that is placed within the area to be studied to provide a sample
Mutualism
a type of symbiotic relationship where all species involved benefit from their interactions
Herbivory
the feeding on living plant parts by animals
Predation
a biological interaction whereby one organism(predator) kills and feeds on another organism(prey)
Parasitism
a relationship between two species in which one organism(the parasite) benefits at the expenses of another
Pathogenicity
the ability of one species(the pathogen) to live inside another species(the host) causing a disease in the host
Endemic species
a species which is native to(i.e. naturally occur in) a defined geographic region
Invasive species
a species that typically causes ecological harm in a new environment where it is not native
Interspecific relationship
a relationship that occurs between individuals from different species that occur in a community
Hydrophyte
a plant that grows either partially or totally submerged in water
