populations

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

the study of living things and their interactions with their environment

Question 2

ecosystems

Answer 2

a characteristic community of interdependent species interacting with the abiotic components of their habitat

Question 3

population

Answer 3

all members of a species of an area that can breed with each other

Question 4

community

Answer 4

all the members of a species in an area

Question 5

habitat

Answer 5

the place in an ecosystem where an organism lives

Question 6

niche

Answer 6

the role of an organism in an ecosystem

Question 7

biotic

Answer 7

all the living components if the ecosystem

Question 8

abiotic

Answer 8

all the non-living components of the ecosystem

Question 9

what are density dependent factors affecting pop. size?

Answer 9

usually biotic factors e.g disease, predators and competition for food

Question 10

what are density independent factors?

Answer 10

usually abiotic factors that cause sudden changes in ecosystem such as floods or wildfires

Question 11

what are the 4 stages of population growth?

Answer 11

• lag phase
• exponential phase
• stationary phase
• death phase (bacteria only)

Question 12

what is the carrying capacity?

Answer 12

the maximum pop. size that can be supported indefinitely by a given environment

Question 13

what is the importance of leaf litter?

Answer 13

increases soil fertility

Question 14

what is succession?

Answer 14

the change in species composition of a community overtime