Biology Vocabulary!

abiotic factor - A non-living chemical or physical factor in the environment, such as soil, pH,
forest fire, etc.

biotic factor - A factor created by a living thing or any living component within an environment
in which the action of the organism affects the life of another organism, for example a predator
consuming its prey.

biosphere - the part of the world in which life can exist

commensalism - the relation between two different kinds of organisms when one receives
benefits from the other without damaging it

community - In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms (or different

species) sharing an environment. ...

consumer - Consumers are organisms of an ecological food chain that relies upon the feeding of
other organisms for survival. These organisms are formally referred to as heterotrophs, which are
represented by all species of animals and a few species from the moneran and fungus
kingdoms. ...

decomposer - Decomposers (or saprotrophs) are organisms that break down the dead or decaying
organisms, and in doing so carry out the natural process of decomposition. ...

density-independent factor - will affect the population no matter what the population size,
typically natural disasters such as floods.

dormancy - Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in
animals) physical activity is temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and
therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with
environmental conditions

ecology - the environment as it relates to living organisms; "it changed the ecology of the island"

• the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their
environment

food chain - a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member

habitat - the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs; "a
marine habitat"

immigration - immigrate - migrate to a new environment; "only few plants can immigrate to the
island"
 Biology Vocabulary! 2

interspecific competition - Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in

which individuals of different species vie for the same resource in an ecosystem (e.g. food or
living space). ...

limiting factor - A factor or limiting resource is a factor that controls a process, such as organism
growth or species population, size, or distribution. The availability of food, predation pressure, or
availability of shelter are examples of factors that could be limiting for an organism

niche- the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as
a species)

nitrogen cycle - the circulation of nitrogen; nitrates from the soil are absorbed by plants which
are eaten by animals that die and decay returning the nitrogen back to the soil

omnivore - an animal that feeds on both animal and vegetable substances

parasitism - the relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits
from the other by causing damage to it (usually not fatal damage)

pioneer species - Pioneer species are species which colonize previously uncolonized land,
usually leading to ecological succession. Pioneer Species are the first organisms to start the chain
of events leading to a livable biosphere or ecosystem.

primary succession - Primary succession is one of two types of biological and ecological
succession of plant life, occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation
and usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited.

species diversity - Species diversity is an index that incorporates the number of species in an area
and also their relative abundance. It is a more comprehensive value than species richness.

water cycle - The paths water takes through its various states--vapor, liquid, solid--as it moves
throughout the oceans, atmosphere, groundwater, and streams. Also known as the Hydrologic
cycle.

climate -Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure,

wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorological elements in a given
region over long periods of time.
 Biology Vocabulary! 3

keystone species - A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionate effect on its
environment relative to its biomass. Such species affect many other organisms in an ecosystem
and help to determine the types and numbers of various other species in a community.

fundamental niche - The total range of environmental conditions suitable for the existence of a
species, without effects of interspecific competition and predation.

extinction - no longer in existence; "the extinction of a species"

acclimation - adaptation to a new climate

biodiversity - Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or for
the entire Earth.

ecosystem - a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical
environment

ecological succession - succession: (ecology) the gradual and orderly process of change in an
ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a
stable climax is established

population - a group of organisms of the same species inhabiting a given area; "they hired
hunters to keep down the deer population"

trophic level - A particular position occupied by a group of organisms in a food chain

density-dependent factor - limited resources whose rates of depletion depend on the density of
the population using them

migration - the periodic passage of groups of animals (especially birds or fishes) from one region
to another for feeding or breeding

interdependence - mutuality: a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or

individuals or groups)

food web - A non-linear network of feeding between organisms that includes many food chains,
and hence multiple organisms on each trophic level. For example, both sharks and tuna eat
herring, and sharks also eat tuna.

biotic factor - Biotic factors are the factors in a biome/ecosystem/habitat that include all living
things. This can later be broken down into producers, consumers (primary, secondary, and
tertiary), decomposers, and scavengers. Abiotic factors are the ones that are nonliving.
 Biology Vocabulary! 4

emigration - migration from a place (especially migration from your native country in order to
settle in another)

symbiosis - the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each
gains benefits from the other

carrying capacity - The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the

population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food,
habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment

Producers - An autotroph is an organism that produces complex organic compounds

(carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light (by
photosynthesis) or inorganic chemical reactions. They are able to make their own food and can
fix carbon dioxide.

population density - The total number of individuals of a species per unit area. Using density
instead of total number gives a basis for comparison between numbers in different places or from
time to time in the same place.

carnivore - A carnivore , meaning 'meat eater' (Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to
devour'), is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting
mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging.Mammals:
Carnivores

mutualism - Mutualism is a biological interaction between two organisms, where each individual
derives a fitness benefit

climax community - In ecology, a climax community, or climatic climax community, is a

biological community of plants and animals which, through the process of ecological succession
— the development of vegetation in an area over time — has reached a steady state

secondary succession - the process of revegetation of an area that has been cleared for some
reason.

genetic diversity - Genetic diversity, the level of biodiversity, refers to the total number of
genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from genetic
variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary.

carbon cycle - the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back
again

energy pyramid - A diagram that shows the amount of energy available at each level of an
ecosystem.
 Biology Vocabulary! 5

competitive exclusion - Two species cannot share a niche for long. One species will become
extinct or change to occupy a slightly different niche.

realized niche - the part of its fundamental niche that a species actually occupies

greenhouse effect - warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere;
caused by atmospheric gases that allow sunshine to pass through but absorb heat that is radiated
back from the warmed surface of the earth