B4 Form and Function : Ecosystems Flashcards
Adaptions and ecological niches
natural selection
The process in which different environments influences the survival and reproduction of organisms due to the presence of variations or adaptations.
pneumatophores
Specialised aerial roots that grow vertically from the underwater roots of certain plants, such as mangroves.
halophyte
A plant species that has adapted to grow in high-salt environments, such as coastal areas, salt flats or salt marshes.
belt transect
Used to study the distribution and abundance of organisms in a particular habitat by placing a long, narrow belt over the area of interest and counting the number of individuals within the belt.
observational transect
Used in environmental monitoring to observe and record data along a designated linear path or transect in a specific habitat or ecosystem.
line intersect sampling
Used to measure the abundance and distribution of plant species in a particular habitat by recording the points where a line or tape intersects with plant stems or foliage.
convergent evolution
Pattern of evolution where distantly related organisms evolve similar traits in response to environmental similarities.
ecological niche
where an organism lives and its role and its impacts on the ecosystem.
obligate anaerobes
Organisms that can only survive in environments that lack oxygen.
facultative anaerobe
Organisms that can survive in environments that contain or lack oxygen.
obligate aerobe
Organisms that can only survive in environments that contain oxygen.
autotrophic
An organism that can produce its own chemical energy using light, inorganic compounds or other energy sources.
heterotrophic
Organisms that cannot produce their own food, consumers; they must ingest nutrients from other organic sources.
holozoic
Organisms that consume food via the process of ingesting, digesting and assimilating the nutrients.
mixotrophic
An organism that can use a mix of different sources of energy and carbon, instead of having a single trophic mode on the continuum from complete autotrophy at one end to heterotrophy at the other.
saphrotroph
Organisms that obtain nutrients by secreting digestive enzymes followed by absorbing and assimilating the nutrients.
halophiles
A plant species that has adapted to grow in high-salt environments, such as coastal areas, salt flats or salt marshes.
phytochemicals
Chemical compounds produced in plants.
fundamental niche
The range of environmental conditions in which a particular species can live.
realised niche
The environmental condition in which the species actually lives.
competitive exclusion principle
States that if two species with identical niches compete, then one will inevitably drive the other to extinction.
niche partitioning
The process by which competing species use the environment differently in a way that helps them to coexist. This may be spatial or temporal.