ap bio ecology

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

Nonliving components of environment.

a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area

All the different populations that live together in an area

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

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

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

Number of individuals per unit area

a description of how individuals are distributed with respect to one another

the most common type of population distribution where many members of the population live close together

distribution in which the location of members in a population is totally random, location of each individual is determined by chance

Distribution where populations are spaced evenly

factor that limits a population more as population density increases

limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size

Population growth that is unhindered because of the abundance of resources for an ever-increasing population.

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth

the potential growth of a population if it could grow in perfect conditions with no limiting factors

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

A population group unified by a specific common characteristic, such as age, and subsequently treated as a statistical unit.

the percentage of members of a group that are likely to survive to any given age

Graph showing the number of survivors in different age groups for a particular species.

the number of different species in a community

The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.

( N-(N-1) ) / ( total n (n-1) )

N = total number of organisms

n = number of individuals of each species

A measure of diversity between similar ecosystems

a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

An interaction in which one organism kills another for food.

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

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

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

species that enter new ecosystems and multiply, harming native species and their habitats

series of gradual changes that occur in a community following a disturbance

First species to populate an area during primary succession

A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time

An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed

Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

Organisms that are able to make their own food

the first producers of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms

An organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products.

Consumers that eat only plants

Consumers that eat only animals

Consumers that eat both plants and animals.

Animals that consume the carcasses of other animals that have been killed by predators or have died of other causes

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment

Each step in a food chain or food web

consumer that feeds directly on producers

An organism that eats primary consumers

An organism that eats secondary consumers

An organism that eats tertiary consumers

rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem

total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

a diagram that shows the energy that is available at each level of an ecosystem

The circulation of chemicals necessary for life, from the environment (mostly from soil and water) through organisms and back to the environment.

excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

Conversion of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides to acids that return to Earth as rain, snow, or fog

Change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades

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.