ch15 Flashcards
the study of how living things interact with one another and with their physical environment
Ecology
the place where you find an organism
Habitat
true or false: No organism can be completely studied apart from its environment
true
very narrow range of things with life
Biosphere
air that has life
Atmosphere
land that has life
Lithosphere
water that has life
Hydrosphere
large geographic regions
Biomes
basic unit of ecology
Ecosystem
ecosystems of land
Terrestrial
ecosystems of water
Aquatic
all the living members of a ecosystem
Community
a group of organisms of the same species living in the same ecosystem
Population
any living thing; individual members of a population; smallest living unit of biosphere
Organism
an ecosystem’s ability to withstand and recover from changes
Stability
movements into an ecosystem
Immigration
movements out of an ecosystem
Emigration
the maximum population size that the ecosystem can currently support
Carrying capacity
if the population is above the carrying capacity
Overpopulation
the number and variety of species living within an ecosystem
Biodiversity
the sun provides all the basic energy of an ecosystem (abiotic factor)
Radiation
radiation that penetrates the atmosphere warms the Earth’s surface (abiotic factor)
Temperature
essential for life (abiotic factor)
Water
the availability of gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor affects the survival of plants and animals in several ways (abiotic factor)
Atmosphere
global wind patterns give rise to differences in temperature and rainfall at different latitudes of our planet (abiotic factor)
Wind
the type and quality in an area influences the kinds of plants that grow there (abiotic factor)
Soil
a range of values that is needed for the organism’s survival
Tolerance range
ideal range where the creature will thrive
Optimum range
any factor outside an organism’s tolerance range
Limiting factor
living factors within an ecosystem
Biotic factors
factors in the ecosystem are always changing while the ecosystem as a whole remains the same
Dynamic equilibrium
make their own food
Autotrophs
get their food from outside source
Heterotrophs
eat only herbs
Herbivores
eat only meat
Carnivores
eat meat and herbs
Omnivores
bacteria and fungi that feed on detritus by secreting enzymes that break it down into simpler molecules
Decomposers
first trophic level
second trophic level
third trophic level
Plants
Herbivores
Carnivores
a model used by ecologists to show the nutritional relationships among organisms in an ecosystem
Food chain
herbivores, eat plants directly
Primary consumers
animals that eat herbivores
Secondary consumers
a model used by ecologists to show all possible feeding relationships at each trophic level
Food web
the function or “occupation” of a living thing
Niche
shows the energy transferred from one trophic level to the next
Energy pyramid
represents the total mass of living matter per unit area
Biomass pyramid
represents the number of organisms at each trophic level and shows that population size usually decreases at each higher trophic level
Number pyramid
a close relationship between two different species over a period of time
Symbiosis
a relationship in which both organisms benefit
Mutualism
a relationship between two organisms in which one, called the parasite, benefits while the other, called the host, is harmed
Parasitism
involves a predator-prey relationship
Predation
a relationship in which one organism is benefited and the other is neither harmed nor helped
Commensalism
a relationship in which two organisms compete for the same limited resources
Competition
a relationship in which one organism inhibits another
Amensalism
organisms share only an indirect relationship
Neutralism
a relationship in which grazing animals feed on plants
Herbivory
Biogeochemical cycle; water moves from the soil and from the water surfaces of the earth
Hydrologic cycle
Atmospheric cycle; involving the movement of nitrogen from the air, into the soil, and back into the air
Nitrogen cycle
used to refer to the combination of a region’s climax vegetation and its animal populations
Climax community
characterized by permafrost and long harsh winters
similar to arctic, doesn’t have permafrost but has snow
Arctic tundra
Alpine tundra
harsh winters, longer summer, no permafrost, dominate conifers
Northern coniferous forest
examples of Northern coniferous forest
Taiga
Temperate rainforest
Southern pine forest
Boreal forest
deciduous trees, well defined seasons with cold winters and hot summer
Temperate deciduous forest
dominate vegetation is grass
Grassland
examples of Grassland
Prairies and plains
Savannas
Teppes
Pampas
more water lost in evaporation then gained through rain
Deserts
example of Deserts
Sahara
year round growing season abundant rain
Tropical rainforest
example of Tropical rainforest
Arboreal
show great variations in temperature,dissolved nutrients,gases
Aquatic biomes
ecosystems associated with the ocean
Marine ecosystems
examples of Marine ecosystems
Estuary
Coral reefs
the first organisms that colonize a disturbed ecosystem
Pioneer species
replacement of early pioneer species by later species in an orderly progression until the climax community is established
Ecological succession
starts with barren ground, like a volcano eruption
Primary
starts with ready soil and pioneer species, as in a burnt forest
Secondary
man’s authority
Dominion
what we do with other’s things
Stewardship
conserving natural resources ?
Conservation
