Chapter 6.

1 Habitats, Niches, and Species Interactions

Text: Biology Chapter 6.1 Habitats, Niches, and Species Interactions (by Miller and Levine)

Habitat- An area with a particular combination of physical and biological environmental factors
that affect which organisms can live within it.

Tolerance- The variety of environmental conditions within which it can survive and reproduce.

Niche- describes where an organism lives and what it does “for a living”

The Competitive Exclusion Principle- no two species can occupy exactly the same niche in
exactly the same habitat at exactly the same time. If two species attempt to do so, one species
will be better at competing for limited resources and will eventually exclude the other species.

Keystone Species- A species that plays a vital and unique role in maintaining structure, stability,
and diversity in an ecosystem.

Symbiosis- A particularly close, interdependent relationship between two species. “Living

Together”

Commensalism- A relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped
nor harmed

Mutualism- A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Parasitism- A relationship in which one organism lives inside or on another organism and harms
 Vocabulary Bingo
Chapter 6.1 Habitats, Niches, and Species Interactions