| A | B |
|---|
| abiotic factors | The physical, or nonliving, factors that shapes an ecosystem. |
| biotic factors | The biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem; the living factors. |
| commensalism | A symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. |
| ecological succession | A gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance. |
| ecosystem stability | When an ecosystem reaches a point when biotic and abiotic factors change very little. |
| symbiosis | Relationships in which two or more species live closely together. |
| greenhouse effect | The natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and other gases. |
| habitat | The area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it. |
| mutualism | A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship. |
| niche | The full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. |
| parasitism | A symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consquently harms it. |
| pioneer species | The first species to populate an area during primary succession. |
| predation | The interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism. |
| primary succession | A type of succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists. |
| resource | Any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space. |
| secondary succession | A type of succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil. |
