1. Ecosystems Vocabulary
HHS Biology

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

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

4. Ecosystems: A community of organisms and their abiotic environment.

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

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

7. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. Habitat: Place where an organism lives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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