Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

ecology

A

study of the abundance, distribution, and interactions of organisms in relation to other organisms and environmental conditions

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2
Q

ecological systems

A

biological entities that have their own internal processes and interact with their external surroundings

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3
Q

species

A

a group of organisms that interbreed with each other and produce fertile offspring

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4
Q

population

A

individuals of the same species living in a particular area

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5
Q

community

A

all populations of species living together in a particular area

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6
Q

ecosystem

A

one or more communities of living organisms interacting with their nonliving physical and chemical environments

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7
Q

biosphere

A

all ecosystems on earth functioning as a single entity

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8
Q

phenotype

A

an attribute of an organism, such as its behaviour, morphology or physiology

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9
Q

genotype

A

the set of genes an organism carries

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10
Q

evolution

A

change in the genetic composition of a population over time

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11
Q

natural selection

A

the frequency of genes in a population can change because some phenotypes increase the chances for survival and reproduction

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12
Q

fitness

A

the survival and reproduction of an individual

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13
Q

producer

A

an organism that uses photosynthesis to convert chemical energy into organic compounds (autotrophs)

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14
Q

consumer

A

an organism that obtains its energy from other organisms (heterotroph)

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15
Q

mixotroph

A

an organism that obtains its energy from more than one source

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16
Q

predator

A

an organism that kills and partially or entirely consumes another individual

17
Q

parasitoid

A

an organism that lives within and consumes the tissues of a living host, eventually killing it

18
Q

parasites

A

organisms that live and feed in or on another organism, while rarely killing their hosts

19
Q

pathogen

A

organism that infers illness/disease on another organism

20
Q

herbivore

A

an organism that consumes producers such as plants and algae

21
Q

competition

A

an interaction resulting in negative effects between two species that depend on the same limiting resource

22
Q

mutualism

A

an interaction between two species in which each species in which each species receives benefits from the other

23
Q

symbiotic relationship

A

when two different types of organisms live in a close physical relationship

24
Q

commensalism

A

an interaction in which two species live in close association and one species receives a benefit (the other has no benefit or cost)

25
scavenger
an organism that consumes dead animals
26
detrivore
an organism that feeds on dead organic matter and waste products that are collectively known as detritus
27
decomposer
organisms that break down dead organic material into simpler elements and compounds that can be recycled through the ecosystem
28
habitat
the place, or physical setting in which an organism lives
29
niche
the range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate
30
manipulative experiment
a hypothesis is tested by altering a factor hypothesised to be the cause of a phenomenon
31
natural experiment
an approach to hypothesis testing that relies on natural variation in the environment
32
mathematical model
a representation of a system with a set of equations that correspond to hypothesised relationships among the system's components (relies on future predictions)