| A | B |
|---|
| community | a group of interacting populations that occupy the same area at the same time |
| limiting factors | any abiotic or biotic factor that restricts the number, reproduction or distribution |
| tolerance | ability of an organism to survive when exposed to abiotic or biotic factor |
| ecological succession | process of one community replacing another as a result of changing abiotic and biotic factors |
| primary succession | establishment of a community in an area of bare rock that does not have topsoil |
| pioneer species | species that appears first after primary succession |
| climax community | stable, mature community in which there is a little change in the number of species |
| Secondary succession | orderly and predictable change that takes place after a community or organisms has removed but the soil remains |
| biodiversity | the variety of life in onw area that is determined by the number of different species in that area |
| extinction | occurs when the last member of a species dies |
| genetic diversity | variety of genes present in a population |
| background extinction | gradual process of species going extinct due to natural processes |
| mass extinction | when a large percentage of living species go extinct in a short period of time |
| overexploitation | excessive use of a species that has economic value |
| habitat loss | main cause of extinction |
| habitat disruption | changing even one thing in a habitat can lead to loss of biodiversity |
| habitat fragmentation | the separation of an ecosystem into small areas |
| edge effect | environmental conditions along the boundaries of an ecosystem are different |
| biological magnification | when pollutants build up to high levels in the body tissues of carnivores |
| acid precipitation | occurs when fossil fuels that are burned release sulfuric and nitric acid into the atmosphere and falls back to earth |
| eutrophication | occurs when fertilizers flow into a waterway and cause an algae bloom |
| invasive species | organisms that have been moved to a new habitat and have a negative impact on the ecosystem |
| renewable resources | resources that are replaced by natuarl processes faster than they are consumed |
| nonrenewable resources | resources that are replaced by natural processes slower than they are consumed |
| endemic species | species that are only found in one location |
| bioremediation | use of living organisms to remove toxins from a polluted area |
| biological augmentation | adding natural predators to degrade an ecosystem |
