Ecosystems Vocabulary HHS Biology

Population- A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.

Community: All the different populations that live together in an area.

Ecosystems: A community of organisms and their abiotic environment.

Exponential Growth: Occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a period of time.

Carrying Capacity: The largest population that an environment can support at any given time.

Abiotic: The non-living parts of an organism's habitat. Biotic: The living parts of an ecosystem. Abiotic: The non-living parts of an organism's habitat.

Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biotic Potential: The maximum rate at which a population could increase under ideal conditions. (what drives an increases in population)

Commensalism: A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited.

Competition: The struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources.

Ecology: The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment.

Food Chain: A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.

Habitat: Place where an organism lives.

Limiting Factor: An environmental factor that prevents a population from increasing

Mutualism: A relationship between two species in which both species benefit.

Niche: An organism's role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.

Parasitism: A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed.

Population Density: The number of individuals in an area of a specific size.

Predation: An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.

Symbiosis: A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.

Trophic Level: Hierarchical step in a food chain or food web (shows energy usage).