Biology Chapters 1-5 Flashcards
Biosphere
The portions of Earth that support life; also refers to the total global ecosystem
Physiological ecology
The scientific study of how physiological limitations and adaptation influence the ability of organisms to cope with biotic and abiotic stress
Behavioural ecology
The study of the relationships between organisms and environment that are mediated by behaviour
Autoecology (autecology)
The ecological study of an individual roganism or of an individual species, particularly interactions with the environment
Population ecology
The scientific study of the structure and dynamics of populations
Abundance
The total number of individuals, or biomass, of a species present in a specified area
Community ecology
The scientific study of interactions among species within a community
Ecosystem ecology
The subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on the flow of energy and nutrients among the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem
Landscape ecology
The study of landscape structure and processes
Macroecology
A subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on the study of ecological patterns and processes that occur over a large geographic area
Primary productivity
A measure of plant growth rate, per unit area, per unit time. This is in contrast to standing biomass
Stable isotope analysis
Analysis of the relative concentrations of stable isotopes, such as 13^C and 12^C, in materials; used in ecology to study the flow of energy and materials through ecosystems
Mangrove forest
A forest of subtropical and tropical marine shores dominated by salt-tolerant woody plants, such as Rhisophora and Avicenia
Eutrophication
Nutrient enrichment of a water body through natural processes or pollution, generally causing rapid algal growth and reduced dissolved oxygen levels
Climate diagram
A standardized form of representing average patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation that identifies several ecologically important climatic factors, such as relatively moist periods and periods of drought
Distributions
The natural geographic range of an organism or the spatial arrangement of individuals in a local population
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
Single base pair changes in DNA sequences that are used to quantify genetic diversity
Inductive reasoning
Reasoning in which premises provide evidence for the truth of a conclusion; the conclusion is deemed probable based on the evidence available
B horizon
A subsoil in which materials leached from above, generally from the A horizon, accumulate. May be rich in clay, rganic matter, iron, and other materials
C horizon
A soil layer composed of largely unaltered parent material, little affected by biological activity
Permafrost
A permanently frozen layer of soil that remains frozen even during summer months
Boreal forest (taiga)
Northern forests that occupy the area south of arctic tundra. Though dominated by coniferous trees, they also contain aspen and birch
Soil
The upper layer of the earth’s land surface, consisting of organic matter and minerals
O (organic) horizons
The most superficial soil layer containing substantial amounts of organic matter, including whole leaves, twigs, other plant parts, and highly fragmented organic matter
Epiphyte
A plant, such as an orchid, that grows on the surface of another plant but is not parasitic
Humus
Partially decomposed organic matter, generally found in soil
Root exudates
Organic compounds, such as amino acids, enzymes, and carbohydrates, that are secreted by plant roots into the surrounding soil
Tundra
A northern biome dominated by mosses, lichens, and dwarf willows, receiving low to moderate precipitation and having a very short growing season
Soliflucion
The slow movement of tundra soils down slopes as a result of annual freezing and thawing of surface soil and the actions of water and gravity
Temperate forest
Deciduous or coniferous forests generally found between 40º and 50º of latitude, where annual precipitation averages anywhere from about 650 mm to over 3,000 mm; this biome receives more winter precipitation than temperate grasslands
Temperate grasslands
Grasslands growing in middle latitudes that receive between 300 and 1,000 mm of annual precipitation, with maximum precipitation usually falling during the summer months
Tropical rain forest
A broadleaf evergreen forest growing in tropical regions where conditions are warm and wet year-round
Lateritic soils
Soils containing high concentrations of iron and aluminum and low concentrations of many essential plant nutrients. These soils are commonly caused by extensive weathering of the parent materials
Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands
A biome associated with mild, moist winter conditions and usually with dry summers. Vegetation is characterized by small, tough (sclerophyllous) leaves and adaptations to fire. This biome is found around the Mediterranean Sea and in western North America, Chile, southern Australia, and southern Africa. Also known as chaparral, garrigue, maquis, and fynbos
Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands
A biome associated with mild, moist winter conditions and usually with dry summers. Vegetation is characterized by small, tough (sclerophyllous) leaves and adaptations to fire. This biome is found around the Mediterranean Sea and in western North America, Chile, southern Australia, and southern Africa. Also known as chaparral, garrigue, maquis, and fynbos
Hydrologic cycle
The sun-driven cycle of water through the biosphere through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff
Littoral zone (intertidal)
The shallowest waters along a lake or ocean shore; where rooted aquatic plants may grow in lakes
Neritic zone
A coastal zone of the oceans, extending to the margin of a continental shelf, where the ocean is about 200 m deep
Oceanic zone
The open ocean beyond the continental shelf with water depths generally greater than 200 m
Downwelling
Movement of surface ocean water toward the bottom; occurs most commonly along the east coasts of continents and in the Arctic
Mesopelagic zone
A middle depth zone of the oceans, extending from about 200 to 1,000 m
Barrier reef
A long, ridgelike reef that parallels the mainland and is separated from it by a deep lagoon
Atoll
A circle of low islands and coral reefs that ring a lagoon, generally formed on a submerged mountain called a seamount
Hadal zone
The deepest parts of the oceans, below about 6,000 m
Eutrophic
A term that applies to lakes, and sometimes to other ecosystems, with high nutrient content and high biological production
Pelagic
A term referring to marine life zones or organisms above the bottom; for instance, tuna are pelagic fish that live in the epipelagic zone of the oceans
Thermocline
A depth zone in a lake or ocean through which temperature changes rapidly with depth, generally about 1ºC per metre of depth
Gyres
A large-scale, circular oceanic current that moves to the right (clockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left (counter-clockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere
Upwelling
Movement of deeper ocean water to the surface, occurs most commonly along the west coasts of continents and around Antarctica
Ecotypes
A genetically identifiable subclass of a species that has evolved in response to local environmental conditions
Salinity
The salt content of water
Photic zone
The upper layers of an ocean or lake in which there is enough light to support photosynthesis
Phytoplankton
Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that drift with the currents in the open sea or in lakes
Zooplankton
Animals that drift in the surface waters of the oceans or lakes; most zooplankton are microscopic
Assortative mating
Mating among phenotypically similar (positive) or dissimilar (negative) individuals
Fringing reefs
A coral reef that forms near the shore of an island or continent
Albedo
The proportion of incident radiation reflected by a surface
Acclimation
Physiological adjustment to change in an environmental factor, such as temperature or salinity
Rate of primary production
The amount of energy fixed by the autotrophs in an ecosystem over some interval of time
Riparian zone
The transition between the aquatic environment of a river or stream and the upland terrestrial environment, generally subject to periodic flooding and elevated groundwater table
Hyporheic zone
A zone below the benthic zone of a stream; a zone of transition between surface, stream water flow, and groundwater
Phreatic zone
The region below the hyporheic zone of a stream; contains groundwater
Stream order
A numerical classification of streams in terms of where they occur in a stream drainage network. Headwater streams are first-order streams, joining of two first-order streams forms a second-order stream, joining of two second-order streams forms a third-order stream and so forth
Flood pulse concept
A theory of river ecology identifying periodic flooding as an essential organizer of river ecosystem structure and functioning
River continuum concept
A model that predicts change in physical structure, dominant organisms, and ecosystem processes along the length of temperate rivers
Limnetic zone
The open lake beyond the littoral zone
Founder effect
A decrease in genetic diversity associated with the formation of a new, small population
Metalimnion
A depth zone between the epilmnion and hypolimnion characterized by rapid decreases in temperature and increases in water density with depth. Often used synonymously with the term thermocline
Hypolimnion
The deepest layer of a lake below the epilmnion and thermocline
Oligotrophic
Refers to lakes of low nutrient content, abundant oxygen, and low primary production
Hardy-Weinberg principle
A principle that in a population mating at random in the absence of evolutionary forces, allele frequencies will remain constant
Peat
Partially decomposed organic matter that builds pu in certain poorly drained wetland habitats
Morphological species concept
A classification of organisms belonging to the same species based on conserved morphological (anatomical) features; this concept may be useful when organisms do not reproduce sexually or are extinct and known only through fossils
Macroclimate
The prevailing climate for a region
Salt marshes
A marine shore ecosystem dominated by herbaceous vegetation, found mainly along sandy shores from temperate to high latitudes
Law of toleration
The abundance and distribution of an animal can be determined by the deviation between the local conditions and the optimum set of conditions for a species
Metabolic heat
Energy released within an organism during the process of cellular respiration
Natural selection
Differential reproduction and survival of individuals in a population due to environmental influences on the population; proposed by Charles Darwin as the primary mechanism driving evolution
Phenotype plasticity
The ability to produce different phenotypes form a single genotype as a function of local conditions
Stabilizing selection
A form of natural selection that acts against extreme phenotypes; can act to impede changes in populations
Inbreeding
Mating between close relatives. Inbreeding tends to increase levels of homozygosity in populations and often results in offspring with lower survival and reproduction rates
Biological species concept
Where populations of organisms able to interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring are classified as belonging to the same biological species
Isolating mechanisms
Some process that prevents the production of a viable offspring between two individuals. Isolating mechanisms are critical to species integrity, and can occur pre- or postzygote formation
Parapatric speciation
Speciation that occurs when a population expands into a new habitat-type within the pre-existing range of the parent species
Sympatric speciation
Speciation that occurs when isolation mechanisms evolve among populations with overlapping geographic ranges
Parallel evolution
The independent evolution of similar traits in geographically separated species
Restriction enzymes
The enzymes produced by bacteria to cut up foreign DNA; used in DNA studies to cut DNA molecules at particular places called restriction sites
Restriction sites
The particular locations where a restriction enzyme cuts a DNA molecule
Restriction fragments
The DNA fragments resulting from the cutting of a DNA molecule by a restriction enzyme
Riparian vegetation
Vegetation growth along rivers or streams
Range of tolerance
The entire set of conditions, such as air temperature or soil moisture, under which an organism is potentially able to survive. Levels outside this range will be lethal
Photosynthesis
Process in which the photosynthetic pigments of plants, algae, or bacteria absorb light and transfer their energy to electrons; the energy carried by these electrons is used to synthesize ATP and NADPH, which in turn serve as donors of electrons and energy for the synthesis of sugars
Radiation
The transfer of heat through electromagnetic radiation, mainly infrared light
Poikilotherms
An organism whose body temperature varies directly with environmental temperatures; commonly called cold-blooded
Homeotherms
An organism that uses metabolic energy to maintain a relatively constant body temperature; such organisms are often called warm-blooded
Thermophilic
A term applied to organisms that tolerate or require high-temperature environments
Thermal neutral zone
The range of environmental temperatures over which the metabolic rate of a homeothermic animal does not change
Torpor
A state of low metabolic rate and lowered body temperature
