Ch. 52 - An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere Flashcards
The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment
Ecology
The study of how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by its environment
Organismal Ecology
A group of individuals of the same species living in an area
Population
Study of the factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time
Population Ecology
A group of populations of diffeent species in an area
Community
The study of how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization
Community Ecology
The community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which those organisms interact
Ecosystem
The study of energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment
Ecosystem Ecology
A mosaic of connected ecosystems
Landscape or Seascape
The study of the factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
Landscape Ecology
The global ecosystem - the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes
Biosphere
The study of how the regional exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere
Global Ecology
The regions that lie between 23.5º north latitude and 23.5º south latitude
Tropics
The long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area
Climate or Macroclimate
Very fine, localized patterns in climatic conditions
Microclimate
Nonliving
Abiotic
Living
Biotic
A directional change to the global climate that lasts three decades or more
Climate Change
A plot of the annual mean temperature and precipitation in a particular region
Climograph
A major life zone characterized by vegetation type (or aquatically by physical environment)
Biome
The area of integration where neighboring biomes grade into one another
Ecotone
The uppermost trees or branches of the trees in a forest, forming a more or less continuous layer of foliage
Canopy
An event such as a storm, fire, or human activity that changes a community, removing organisms from it and altering resource availability
Disturbance
A forest with high rate of precipitation and high humidity, usually located near the equator
Tropical Rain Forest
A forest characterized by a pronounced dry season during part of the year
Tropical Dry Forest
A dry, barren area of land, especially one covered with sand, that is characteristically desolate, waterless, and without vegetation
Desert
A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees
Savanna
An ecological biome composed of shrubby plants adapted to dry summers and moist winters
Chaparral
Areas of open grassland with very few trees, like savannas, but located in colder climate regions which receive less precipitation on average than savannas
Temperate Grasslands
A biome that occupies a vast area below the tundra, characterized by a longer and warmer growing season
Northern Coniferous Forest
A biome known for known for the turning of the colors of its deciduous leaves to brilliant reds, oranges, and golds in autumn
Temperate Broadleaf Forest
A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen
Tundra
The region of an aquatic biome where there is sufficient light for photosynthesis
Photic Zone
The region of an aquatic biome where little light penetrates
Aphotic Zone
The photic and aphotic zones of an aquatic biome
Pelagic Zone
The part of the ocean 2,000 m to 6,000 m below the surface
Abyssal Zone
The zone of an aquatic biome made up of sand and organic and inorganic sediments
Benthic Zone
The communities of organisms occupying the benthic zone
Benthos
Dead organic matter sinking down toward the benthic zone from the photic zone
Dentritus
In the ocean and in most lakes, a narrow layer of abrupt temperature change separating more uniformly warm upper layers from more uniformly cold deeper waters
Thermocline
A semiannual mixing of lakewaters as a result of changing temperature profiles, in which oxygenated water from the surface is sent down to the bottom of the lake bringing nutrient rich water from the bottom to the surface in the spring and autumn
Turnover
Standing bodies of water
Lakes (or, if smaller, ponds)
Nutrient-poor, but oxygen-rich standing bodies of water
Oligotrophic Lakes
Nutrient-rich, oxygen-depleted standing bodies of water
Eutrophic Lakes
The shallow, well-lit waters close to a lake’s shore
Littoral Zone
The area of a lake too deep for rooted aquatic plants
Limnetic Zone