Chapter 4 - Ecology Flashcards
day to day condition of earth’s atmosphere
weather
average year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a certain region
climate
When CO2 and methane trap heat in the atmosphere to maintain Earth’s temperature range
greenhouse effect
cold areas where the sun’s rays hit Earth at a very shallow angle. around the north and south poles
polar zones
sit between polar and tropical zones. ranges from hot to cold because the sun strikes them more often
temperate zones
near the equator. always get sun/direct sunlight.
tropical zones (tropics)
all the living things an organism might interact with in an ecosystem. or in an ecological community.
biotic factors
all of the nonliving things that shape an ecosystem
abiotic factors
includes both biotic and abiotic factors. this is the area in which an organism lives.
habitat
all of the conditions an organism lives in and the way it uses those conditions.
niche
any necessity of life. (water, nutrients, shelter)
resource
states that “no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time.” if they try, one species will perish.
competition exclusion principle
When one organism captures and feeds on another organism
predation
relationship between two species that live together. there are three types of this.
symbiosis
both species benefit from this relationship
mutualism
only one species benefits, while the other isn’t helped or harmed in this relationship.
commensalism
one organism lives inside another and harms it. The harmed species is called the host.
parasitism
The series of predictable changes within a community caused by natural or human disturbances.
ecological succession
On land, this is succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists.
Primary Succession
The first species that inhabits the area where primary succession occurs.
Pioneer Species
Another name for pioneer species
Lichens (Lie-kenz)
Usually occurs after wildfires have burned through woodlands and when farming land is abandoned. It can also be caused by human interactions.
Secondary Succession
A group of communities that have the same dominant species and climate.
Biome
The ability to survive and reproduce under conditions that differ from their original conditions.
Tolerance
The climate in a small area that differs from that of the area around it.
Microclimate
A dense covering of trees in a rainforest.
Canopy
The second layer of growth underneath the canopy that inlcudes vines and shorter trees.
Understory
A type of tree that loses its leaves at a specific time every year.
Deciduous
Trees that have seed bearing cones.
Coniferous (Conifers)
Found in soils of temperate forests, it is material created from the decaying leaves and other organic matter that makes the soil fertile.
Humus
Along the northern edge of the temperate zone, there are dense evergreens and coniferous trees. This biome has cold winters, and decent summers.
Taiga (Boreal Forest)
Layer of permanently frozen subsoil.
Permafrost
Tiny free-floating organisms that live in both fresh and salt water.
Plankton
Unicellular algae that are supported by the nutrients in water, and are the base of many aquatic food webs.
Phytoplankton
Planktonic animals that feed on phytoplankton.
Zooplankton.
An ecosystem where water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year.
Wetland
Wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea. Contain a mixture of fresh and salt water.
Estuaries (Estuary - singular)
Made of of tiny pieces of organic material that feeds many organisms at the base of the estuary’s food web.
Detritus
Temperate-zone estuaries dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line, and by underwater sea grasses.
Salt marshes
Widespread around tropical areas like Hawaii. There live salt-tolerant trees.
Mangrove Swamps
The first 200-meter layer of the ocean where photosynthesis can still occurs.
Photic Zone
Below the photic zone where it is permanently dark. Chemosynthetic autotrophs are the only producers that can survive in this zone.
Aphotic Zone
Prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in the same habitat. The specific levels at which groups of organisms live.
Zonation
Extends from the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf (the shallow border that surrounds the continents).
Coastal Ocean
This forest’s dominant organism is a giant brown alga that can grow at extrodinary rates.
Kelp Forests
