Aspects of the environment Flashcards
what is the biosphere
-Thick envelope of life that surrounds the earths surface made up of hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (soil0 and atmosphere (air)
-Maintains and creates the conditions of temperature, light, gases, moisture and minerals required in life
what are biomes
particular climatic regions
what are communities
the association of organisms that live together and that exhibit well-defined nutritional or behavioural interrelationships
what are populations
organisms of the same species within a community
what are habitats
the physical location in the environment to which an organism has adapted
what is niche
overall role of a species, or population- serves in a community, nutritional intake, position in community and rate of population growth
what are environmental microbiology aspects
Examines the interrelationship between microorganisms and their living and non-living environments
What is neutralism
communities existing with no form of interaction e.g. resting stages.
what is commensalism
unidirectional relationship
e.g- Epiphytes on plants or animals, Facultative anaerobes and Caprophagous fungi living on fecal materials of other animals.
what is synergism
metabolic cooperation (syntrophism), e.g. 1 Acidogens and methanogens and also rhizosphere interactions
what is mutualism
necessary symbiosis
e.g Lichens, Endocymbionts bacteria live in protozoa, N-fixation Rhizobium & Bradyrhizobium, Bioluminescent bacteria and the rumen environment
what is competition
for same resources (light, space, nutrients, …etc.). Both population achieve lower densities and/or leading to ecological separation or exclusion- same population competing for same area, space or nutrients etc
what is competitive exclusion (niche)
when two populations compete for the same niche, one will always win the competition, the other will be excluded
what is predation
Consumption of one population by the other. e.g. 1 Grazing protozoa eat yeast or bacteria, leading to cyclic fluctuations in populations of predator and prey. This is important in the transfer of energy into the ecosystem.
what is parasitism
The parasite benefit and the host suffer. Leading to host and parasite relationship and in degrees. It can maintain population densities and ecological stability
