Biodiversity

Question 1

habitat

Answer 1

area where an organism lives including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it

Question 2

tolerance

Answer 2

ability of an organism to survive and reproduce under circumstances that differ from their optimal conditions

Question 3

niche

Answer 3

full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

Question 4

resource

Answer 4

any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space

Question 5

competitive exclusion principle

Answer 5

principle that states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

Question 6

keystone species

Answer 6

single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community

Question 7

symbiosis

Answer 7

relationship in which two species live close together

Question 8

commensalism

Answer 8

symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed

Question 9

mutualism

Answer 9

symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship

Question 10

parasitism

Answer 10

a symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it

Question 11

ecological succession

Answer 11

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

Question 12

primary succession

Answer 12

succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous community is present

Question 13

pioneer species

Answer 13

first species to populate an area during succession

Question 14

secondary succession

Answer 14

type of succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbances

Question 15

biodiversity

Answer 15

the total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere; also called biological diversity

Question 16

ecosystem diversity

Answer 16

variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere

Question 17

species diversity

Answer 17

number of different species that makes up a particular area

Question 18

resilience

Answer 18

the ability to recover after a disturbance; the ability to deal with change and move on

Question 19

genetic diversity

Answer 19

sum total of all the different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or by all organisms on Earth

Question 20

ecosystem services

Answer 20

the benefits for humans that are provided by healthy ecosystems