Unit 7 : Organisms & Their Ecosystem

Question 1

physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms.

Answer 1

abiotic

Question 2

relating to or resulting from living things, especially in their ecological relations.

Answer 2

biotic

Question 3

a variety of organisms in an ecosystem or biome

Answer 3

biodiversity

Question 4

a dominant community of plants and animals that come to live in an area

Answer 4

climax community

Question 5

the changing sequence of communities that live in an ecosystem during a given time period

Answer 5

ecological succession

Question 6

a condition or resource that keeps a population at a certain size

Answer 6

limiting factor

Question 7

a small or specialized habitat within a larger habitat

Answer 7

microhabitat

Question 8

first organisms to live in an area

Answer 8

pioneer species

Question 9

a process that develops a biotic community in a previously uninhabited and barren habitat with little or no soil

Answer 9

primary succession

Question 10

a process started by an event that reduces an already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species

Answer 10

secondary succession

Question 11

ability to maintain ecological processes over long periods of time; ability of an ecosystem to maintain its structure and function over time

Answer 11

sustainability

Question 12

a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.

Answer 12

biome