key terms

• ecosystem

  • the interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment
• habitat

  • the area in which an organism lives
• community

  • two or more different species in an ecosystem.
  • a stable community is one where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant
• population

  • the total number of organisms of one species in an ecosystem
• competition

  • plants often compete for light, space, water and mineral ions.
  • animals often compete for food, mates and territory
• interdependence

  • within a community each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination etc
• adaptations

  • a feature that an organism has that allows it to survive in its ecosystem
• biodiversity

  • the variety of all the different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem