Definition: Common species and uncommon species are designations used in ecology to describe the population status of a species. Commonness is closely related to abundance. Abundance refers to the frequency with which a species is found in controlled samples; in contrast, species are defined as common or uncommon based on their overall presence in the environment. A species may be locally abundant without being common.
Definition: Competitors are species that thrive in areas of low intensity stress and disturbance and excel in biological competition. These species are able to outcompete others by most efficiently tapping into available resources. Competitors do this through a combination of favorable characteristics, including rapid growth rate, high productivity and high capacity for phenotypic plasticity.
Definition: Symbiont transmission maintains symbioses through host generations. In vertical transmission, the symbiont is inherited from the mother or, more rarely, from both parents.
