Unit 4 The Environment is Where We All Meet
niche
(ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species)
Biomes
A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
commensalism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited
parasitism
A relationship in which one organism lives on or in a host and harms it.
succession
A series of predictable and orderly changes within an ecosystem over time.
extinction
A term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals.
predation
An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.
evolution
Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.
biotic
Describes living factors in the environment.
trophic level
Each step in a food chain or food web
bioaccumulation
The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.
equilibrium
a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.
limiting factors
environmental factors that restrict population growth
symbiotic
mutually beneficial; supporting one another's life
abiotic
non-living things in an environment
mutualism
symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship
Bioaccumulation
the build up of a substance (usually a toxin) as it passes through a food chain
biomagnification
the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.
carrying capacity
the largest population that an environment can support at any given time
competition
the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources