number of species in a community

variety of species that make up a community

assemblage of species interacting with one another within the same environment

proposes that the biodiversity on an island is dependent on its distance from the mainland, with islands located a greater distance having a lower level of diversity

place where an organism lives and is able to survive and reproduce

role an organism plays in its community, including its habitat and its interactions with other organisms

theory that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same place and at the same time

mechanism that increases the number of niches by apportioning the supply of a resource, such as food or living space, between species

tendency for character-istics to be more divergent when similar species belong to the same community than when they are isolated from one another

interaction in which one organism (the predator) uses another (the prey) as a food source

organism that practices predation

organism that provides nourishment for a predator

process of hiding from predators in which an organism's behavior, form, and pattern of coloration allow it to blend into the background and prevent detection

superficial resemblance of two or more species; a survival mechanism that avoids predation by appearing to noxious

the number of individuals per unit area or volume living in a particular habitat

an organism's niche in the absence of competition from other species

the part of fundamental niche that an organism occupies as a result of limiting factors present in its habitat

a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other