Bio vocab Flashcards
Ecology
Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Organism
An individual living thing
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Community
All the different populations that live together in an area
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Biome
A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms
Quadrat Sampling
a square or rectangular plot of land, a quadrat, marked off at random to isolate a sample and determine the percentage of vegetation and animals occurring within the marked area.
Density
Number of individuals per unit area
Frequency
Percentage of sample plots in which a species appears
Biotic
Living things
Abiotic
Non-living things
Biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Keystone Species
A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem
Producer
An organism that can make its own food.
Autotroph
An organism that makes its own food
Chemosynthesis
Process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
Photosynthesis
Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.
Consumer
An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
Heterotroph
An organism that cannot make its own food.
Generalist Species
Species with a broad ecological niche. They can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Examples are flies, cockroaches, mice, rats, and human beings. Compare specialist species.
Specialist Species
Species with a narrow ecological niche. They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one type or a few types of food.
Specialist Species
Species with a narrow ecological niche. They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one type or a few types of food.
Food Chain
a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Food Web
A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
Herbivore
A consumer that eats only plants.
Carnivore
A consumer that eats only animals.
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and animals
Detritivore
organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
Scavenger
carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms
trophic Level
Each step in a food chain or food web
trophic Level
Each step in a food chain or food web
Primary Consumers
Animals that feed on producers; ex. herbivores
Tertiary consumers
Carnivores that eat other carnivores
Secondary Consumers
Carnivores that eat herbivores
Biomass
A measure of the total dry mass of organisms within a particular region
Invasive Species
plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native
Hydrologic Cycle
the movement of water through the biosphere
Oxygen Cycle
Cycle whereby natural processes and human activity consume atmospheric oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and the Earth’s forests and other flora, through photosynthesis, consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen
Carbon Cycle
the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again
Acid Rain
Rain containing acids that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions (especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) combine with water.
Nitrogen Fixation
Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
Legumes
Plants of the bean and pea family, with seeds that are rich in protein compared with other plant-derived foods
Ammonification
Decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia
Denitrification
Process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas
Algal Bloom
The rapid growth of a population of algae
Eutrophication
A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.
