Vocab Flashcards
Community
an interacting group of various species in a common location.
Abiotic Factor:
a nonliving part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment
Example: water, air, soil, temperature, and wind
Biotic Factor
a living organism that shapes its environment.
Example: algae, bacteria, corals, fish, etc…
Carrying Capacity
number of organisms the environment can sustain/support over a long period of time.
Predation
a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey
Population
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place.
Biodiversity
the variety of all living things and their interactions.
Water Cycle
the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere.
Niche
is a unique role a species plays in the environment.
Logistic Growth
Population grows quickly at first and then levels off (Most natural population)
Exponential Growth
Population grows without limit (Human Population)
Limiting Factor
Aspects of the environment that limit the size a population can reach
Survivorship Curve
a graphic representation of mortality patterns. (Shows the number of individuals in a population that can be expected to survive to any specific age.)
Type 1
Type I: Late loss; heavy parental care; Ex. Humans
Type 2
Type II: Constant loss; mortality unaffected by age; Ex. Some birds, rodents
Type 3
Type III: Early loss; produce lots of offspring at once and many die right away; Ex. fish, mosquitoes
Phenomenon
observable events that occur in a natural or designed system
Serengeti national park
Serengeti National Park, in northern Tanzania, is known for its massive annual migration of wildebeest and zebra.
Ecosystem
includes all the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and with their nonliving environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere).
Symbiosis
a relationship or interaction between two different organisms that share similar habitat.
Ecology
the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.
Ecosystem Productivity
the percentage of energy entering the ecosystem incorporated into biomass in a particular trophic level.
Behavior as it related to ecology
The field of behavioral ecology focuses on how the behavior of animals affects their ability to survive and reproduce.
