Species Terminology

Species who’s presence in an area are due to natural introduction without human interference

Species whose presence in an area are because of an introduction by humans. (Not all nonnative species are invasive!)

Species who are only found in one specific area of the planet (Ex: giant panda in china)

Species whose presence or absence indicates the general health of an ecosystem. (Ex: frogs & toads are an indicator species for pollution)

Species who can out-compete other species for resources & whose population grows quickly. (In many cases, these are nonnative, but not always)

Species that consume dead organisms that died of natural causes (Ex: flies & vultures)

Species who can eat a variety of foods and survive in many different habitats (Ex: raccoons and cows)

Species characterized by long gestation periods, slow maturation, & long life spans (Ex: elephants and humans)

A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend on, such that if it were removed it would change the ecosystem drastically (Ex: beavers)

Species that were the first to colonize barren environments (Ex: bacteria, mosses)

Species that emphasizes high growth rates and produce many offspring (Ex: rabbits, most fish)

Species that require very unique resources, have a very limited diet, or need a specific condition to survive (Ex: giant pandas)

Number of species and abundance of each species that live in a particular area

Related organisms that share common characteristics and are capable of interbreeding

Description of the distribution of abundance across the species in a community

Number of different species in an ecosystem

Any species which are vulnerable to extinction in the near future