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A parasite
an organism that feeds from and harms another organism
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Exo- ectoparasites
live on the outside of the host
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Endoparasites
live inside the host
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Population
made up of all the members of a species living in an area
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Factors that affect the population
- competiton
- predation
- parasitism
- symbiosis
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Intra-specific competition
the competition that takes place between members of the same species
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Intr-specific competition
competition involves different species
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Contest competition
a type of competition which organisms fight physically for a resource and only one gets it
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Scramble competition
All competing individuals get some of the resource
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Predation
the catching, killing, and eating of another organism
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Predator
an organism that catches kills another organism
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Prey
the organism that is eaten by the predator
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Parasitism
occurs when two organisms of different species live close association and one organism (the parasite) obtains its food from, and to the disadvantage of, the second organism (the host)
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Symbiosis
Occurs when two organisms of different species live (and have to live) in close association and at least one of them benefits
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Mutualism
Both organisms benefit from the association
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Ecology
the study of the interactions between living things (organism) and between organisms and their enviroment
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Biosphere
that part of the planet containing living organisms
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Ecosystem
is a group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment as a unit
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Habitat
the place where a plant or animal lives
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A population
all the members of the same species living in an area
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community
all the different populations in an area
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Abiotic factors
non-living factors
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Biotic factors
living factors
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Edaphic factors
relate to soil
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Climatic factors
refer to weather over a long period of time
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Producers
organisms that carry out photosynthesis
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Flora
all the plants in an ecosystem
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Consumers
are organisms that take in food from another organism
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Fauna
are all the animals in an ecosystem
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Decomposers
Are organisms that feed on dead organic matter
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Detritus feeders
are organisms that feed on small pieces of dead organic matter
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Food web
consists of two or more interlinked food chains
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Pyramid of numbers
represents the number of organisms at each trophic level (or stage) in a food chain
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A niche
is the functional role it plays in the community
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Nutrient recycling
is the way in which elements (such as carbon and nitrogen) are exchanged between the living and non-living components of an eco-system
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Nitorgen fixation
the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia (NH3)-, ammonium (NH4)+ or nitrate (NO3)-
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Nitrification
the conversion of ammonia and ammonium (NH4+) compounds to nitrite and then to nitrate
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Denitrification
the conversion to nitrates to nitrogen gas
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Pollution
any harmful addition to the environment
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Pollutants
Are harmful additions to the environment
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Conservation
the wise management of the existing natural resources in an ecosystem, in order to maintain a wide range of habitats and prevent the death and extinction of organisms
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