| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Abundance | the number or amount of something |
| Batesian Mimicry | evolution by one species to resemble the coloration, body shape, or behavior or another species that is protected from predators by a venomous stinger, bad taste, or some other defensive adaptation |
| Climax Community | a relatively stable, long-lasting community reached in a succession series; usually determined by climate and soil type |
| Coevolution | the process in which species exert selective pressure on each other and gradually evolve new features or behaviors as a result of those pressures |
| Commensalism | a symbiotic relationship in which one member is benefited and the second is neither harmed nor benefited |
| Complexity | the number or species at each trophic level and the number of trophic levels in a community |
| Disclimax Communities | a community subject to periodic disruptions, usually by fire, that prevent it from reaching a climax stage |
| Diversity | the number of species present in a community (species richness), as well as the relative abundance of each species |
| Ecological Development | a gradual process of environmental modifications by organisms |
| Ecological Niche | the functional role and position of a species (population) within a community or ecosystem, including what resources it uses, how and when it uses the resources, and how it interacts with other populations |
| Ecotones | a boundary between two types of ecological communities |
| Edge Effects | a change in species composition, physical conditions, or other ecological factors at the boundary between two ecosystems |
| Environmental Indicators | organisms or physical factors, that serve as a gauge for environmental changes. More specifically, organisms with these characteristics are called bioindicators |
| Equilibrium Communities | a community subject to periodic disruptions, usually by fire, that prevent it from reaching a climax stage |
| Evolution | a theory that explains how random changes in genetic material and competition for scarce resources cause species to change gradually |
| Fire-Climax Communities | An equilibrium community maintained by periodic fires; examples include grasslands, chaparral shrub land, and some pine forests |
| Habitat | the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives |
| Interspecific Competition | In a community, competition for resources between members of the same species |
| Intraspecific Competition | In a community, competition for resources among members of the same species |
| Keystone Species | a species whose impacts on its community or ecosystem are much larger and more influential then would be expected from mere abundance |
| Mullerian Mimicry | Evolution of two species, both of which are unpalatable and, have poisonous stingers or some other defense mechanism, to resemble each other |
| Mutualism | A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two different species in which both species benefit from the association |
| Natural Selection | The mechanism for evolutionary change in which environmental pressures cause certain genetic combinations in a population to become more abundant; genetic combinations best adapted for present environmental conditions tend to become predominant |
| Parasites | An organism that lives in or on another organism, deriving nourishment at the expense of its host, usually without killing it |
| Pathogens | An organism that produces disease in a host organism, disease being an alteration of one or more metabolic functions in response to the presence of the organism |
| Pioneer Species | in primary succession on a terrestrial site, the plants, lichens, and microbes that first colonize the site |
| Plankton | primarily microscopic organisms that occupy the upper water layers in both freshwater and marine ecosystems |
| Predator | An organism that feeds directly on other organisms in order to survive; live-feeders such as herbivores and carnivores |
| Primary Productivity | synthesis of organic material by green plants using the energy captured in photosynthesis |
| Primary Succession | an ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed |
| Resource Partitioning | in a biological community, various populations sharing environmental resources through specialization, thereby reducing direct competition |
| Secondary Succession | succession on a site where an existing community has been disrupted |
| Symbiosis | the intimate living together of members of two different species; includes mutualism, commensalism, and, in some classifications, parasitism |
| Territoriality | an intense form of intraspecific competition in which organisms define an area surrounding heir home site or nesting site and defend it, primarily against other members of their own species |
| Tolerance Limits | chemical or physical that limit the existence, growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism |
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