ECOLOGY: study of inter-relationshiops between organisms and their environment
BIOSPHERE: life supporting layer of land, air, water that surrounds Earth
ECOSYSTEM: all interacting biotic+abiotic features in an area eg. lake (has own flow of energy and cycling of nutrients)
POPULATION: all organisms of one species in a habitat
COMMUNITY: all populations within a habitat
HABITAT: place where organism lives, many habitats in an ecosystem, eg stream through woodland. MICROHABITATS are subunits, within a habitat, eg mud at bottom of stream
ECOLOGICAL NICHE: role of a species within its habitat, including biotic and abiotic interactions. a niche can only be occupied by one species - if 2 species compete for one niche, one will be more successful, eventually the other will die out.
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