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