B15 Ecology

Question 1

abundance

Answer 1

a measure of how common or rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment

Question 2

adaptations

Answer 2

special features that make an organism particularly well suited to the environment where it lives

Question 3

community

Answer 3

group of interdependent living organisms in an ecosystem

Question 4

competition

Answer 4

the process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources such as food, light, or
reproductive partners

Question 5

distribution

Answer 5

where particular types of organisms are found within an environment

Question 6

extremophile

Answer 6

an organism that can survive and reproduce in extreme conditions

Question 7

interdependence

Answer 7

the network of relationships between different organisms within a community, for example each
species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal, etc.

Question 8

quadrat

Answer 8

a sample area used for measuring the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field

Question 9

quantitative sampling

Answer 9

records the numbers of organisms rather than just the type

Question 10

sample size

Answer 10

the size of a sample in an investigation

Question 11

transect

Answer 11

a measured line or area along which ecological measurements are made

Question 12

ecosystem

Answer 12

Interacting organisms and their environment

Question 13

biotic factors

Answer 13

The interaction between living things in an ecosystem