A self contained area including the biotic (living) community and abiotic (non-living) components interacting with one another

When using a quadrat to estimate population size, we take many samples to ensure that our data is what?

a sampling area used for measuring the frequency or percentage cover of organisms (plants or slow moving organisms)

This describes how an organism fits into the environment. It describes what a species is like, where it occurs, how it behaves, its interactions with other species and how it responds to its environment.

Give two examples of abiotic factors

the category of living factors in the environment of an organism that affect population size

competition between organisms of DIFFERENT species e.g. for food

Conditions in the environment that limit population size - these can be biotic or abiotic factors.

The population size of a species that can be supported by the ecosystem

A line along which organisms can be sampled in ecological studies. Particularly useful in ecosystems such as sea shores and sand dunes where abiotic conditions and species vary across the area being studied.

The range and variety of genes, species and habitats within a particular ecosystem

The study of inter-relationships between organisms & their environment This environment includes living (biotic) factors (e.g. competition & predation) & non-living (abiotic) factors (e.g. temperature & rainfall).