INTERACTIONS IN NATURE 1 VOCABULARY
Biosphere: part of the Earth that supports life, including the top portion of the Earth's crust, and all the water on the Earth's surface
Essential Characteristics: made up of different environments; Examples: oceans, water, polar regions, deserts
Ecosystem: all the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment
Essential Characteristics: -made up of the biotic and abiotic components Examples: prairie, grassland, forest
Population: all the organisms that belong to the same species living in a community
Essential Characteristics: -several populations live in a community Examples: deer, grasshoppers, bacteria
all the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem Community: all the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem
Essential Characteristics: - includes all the species in a particular ecosystem; organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems are related Examples: Arctic community, prairie community
anything that can restrict the size of a population Limiting factor: anything that can restrict the size of a population
Essential Characteristics: - includes living and nonliving features; availability of food, water, living space, mates, nesting sites, other resources Examples: drought, fire
any close relationship between species Symbiosis: any close relationship between species
Essential Characteristics: -many organisms live together and share resources in other ways Examples: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
Carrying capacity: largest number of individual species that an ecosystem can support over time
Essential Characteristics: - exists because of limiting factor; if a population begins to exceed carrying capacity, some organisms will not have enough resources
Habitat: place where an organisms lives and that provides the types of food, shelter, moisture, and temperature needed for survival
Essential Characteristics: - in forest ecosystem, trees are a woodpecker's habitat Examples: trees