Key words & definitions

Ecology: the study of interrelationship between organisms and their environment and each other.
Biosphere: the part of the planet containing living organisms: the living word.
Biome: climatically controlled group of plants and animals of a characteristic composition and distributed over a wide area.
Ecosystem: a biological community of interacting organisms and physical environment.
Community: all the organisms in a particular habitat at one time.
Population: all the members of one species in a habitat at one time.
Individual: a single, separate organisms animal or plant.
Niche: the role of a species within an ecosystem.
Biotic Factors: the influence of organisms and their activities on other organisms and the environment.
Abiotic Factors: a non-living chemical or physical factor in the environment such as soil or pH.
Interspecific Competition: competition between the members of different species for the same resource.
Intraspecific Competition: competition between the members of the same species for the same resource.