| A | B |
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| ecology | the study of any and all aspects of how organisms interact with each other and their environment |
| population | a group within a single species, the individuals of which can and do freely interbreed |
| habitat | the specific environment in which and organism lives |
| community | a group of differant species living in the same ecosystem |
| ecosystem | a grouping of plants, animals, and other organisms interacting with each other and their environment |
| biotic | living or derived from living things |
| abiotic | pertaining to the factors or things that are seperate or independent from living things; nonliving |
| biosphere | the overall ecosystem of the earth |
| population size | the number of individuals making up its gene pool |
| population density | the number of individuals per unit of area |
| population distribution | the general pattern in which the population members are dispersed through its habitat |
| age stucture | the relative proportions of individuals of each age - especially with respect to reproductive years |
| clumped dispersion | members of a population living in clumps |
| uniform dispersion | uniform number of individuals spread out through an environment |
| random dispersion | members of a population spread out randomly through an environment |
| immigration | movement of individuals into a population |
| emigration | movement of individuals out of a population |
| zero population growth | birth rate and death rate balanced so no population growth occurs |
| expotential growth | the growth produced when the base population increases by a given percentage each year |
| biotic potential | the potential of a species of increasing its population and/or distribution |
| limiting factor | a factor primarily responsible for limiting the growth and/or reproduction of an organism or a population |
| carrying capacity | the maximum population of a given animal or human that an ecosystem can support |
| density-dependent controls | in referance to population balance, Controls that limit population by predation, disease, and resourses |
| density-independent controls | most often weather-related occurences such as storms and floods that affect populations |
| family planning programs | human reproductive programs to limit the growth of the human population ex. birth control and educational programs |
| niche | the roll an organism plays in their comunity |
