A measure of how common or rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment.
Adaptations
Special features that make an organism particularly well suited to the environment where it lives.
Community
Group on independent living organisms in an ecosystem.
Competition
The process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources such as food, light or reproductive partners.
Distribution
Where particular types of organisms are found within an environment.
Extremophile
An organism that can survive and reproduce in extreme conditions.
Interdependence
The network of relationships between different organisms within a community, for example each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal etc...
Mean
The arithmetic average of a series of numbers
Median
The middle value in a list of numbers
Mode
The number which occurs the most often in a set of data
Quadrat
A sample used for measuring the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field.
Quantitive Sampling
Records the numbers of organisms rather than just the type
Range
The maximum and minimum values for the independent or dependent variables- important in ensuring that any patterns are detected.
Sample Size
The size of a sample in an investigation
Transect
A measured line or area along which ecological measurements are made.
