definitions test 1 Flashcards
a species with a life cycle of several years
perennial species
a species with a life cycle of 1 year or less
annual species
excess growth of algae and cyanobacteria as a result of excessive inputs of nutrients
eutrophication
position in the food chain assessed by number of energy-transfer steps to reach that level (1-primary producers; 5-marine mammals, humans)
trophic level
the study of the variations in time and
space in the sizes and densities of populations, and of the factors causing those variations
population ecology
an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet
watershed
the movement of individuals, and commonly whole populations, from one region to another
migration
a phylum of photosynthetic prokaryotes, also erroneously referred to as “blue-green algae”
cyanobacteria
an area depleted of oxygen
dead zone
the nonseasonal, directional, and continuous pattern of colonization and extinction on a site by populations
succession
the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community
phytoplankton
the conversion of gaseous nitrogen (N2) into more complex molecules
nitrogen fixation
functioning groups of individual
organisms of the same species in a defined location
population
all the species populations
present in a defined location
community
both the community of organisms
and the physical environment in which they exist
ecosystem
the totality of all of life interacting with the physical environment at the scale of the entire planet
biosphere
a phenomenon in which black or blackish forms of species have come to dominate populations in industrial areas
industrial melanism
name of the boat on which Darwin sailed and developed his theory of natural selection
Beagle
the process by which two or more new species are formed from one original species
speciation
the process by which organisms of different evolutionary lineages come to have similar form or behavior
convergent evolution
a structure that is similar in form or function but is not a result of common ancestry
analogy (analogous)
a similarity in structure that is a result of common ancestry
homology (homologous)
similar lines of evolution of systematic groups that had been separated geographically at an earlier stage in their history
parallel evolution
symbiosis which is beneficial to both organisms involved
mutualism
a species living in a situation in which two populations which do not interbreed are living in the same region and connected by a geographic ring of populations that can interbreed
ring species
a form of selection that acts on an organism’s ability to obtain a mate
sexual selection
cofounder of the theory of evolution, next to Charles Darwin
Alfred Russel Wallace
larval stage of a frog
tadpole
speciation taking place without geographical separation
sympatry
the production of offspring sharing the characteristics of parents from different lineages
hybridization
geographical separation of species
allopathy
the process by which members of two (or more) species contribute reciprocally to the forces of natural selection that they exert on each other, e.g. parasites and their hosts.
coevolution
mammals that have a poach instead of a uterus
marsupials
writer of the 1798 “Essay on the principle of population”
Thomas Robert Malthus
a species that is known only from one island or area
endemic
founder of the theory of continental drift
Alfred Wegener
the study of the rules, principles, and practice of classifying living organisms
taxonomy
the relative contribution that an individual makes to the gene pool of the next generation
fitness
the limits, for all important environmental features, within which individuals of a species can survive, grow, and reproduce
niche
organisms that thrive in highly acidic environments
acidophiles
physical or chemical properties of the environment that determine where organisms can live
conditions
an organism in which the body temperature relies on sources of heat outside itself
ectotherm
this substance acts as an anti-freeze compound in springtails
glycerol
place where a microorganism, plant, or animal lives
habitat
an organism that, during its life eats many prey organisms, typically (and in many cases always) killing them
predator
a state of dormancy during the winter period
hibernation
trees that bear leaves (as opposed to needles)
deciduous
length of the period of daylight within the daily cycle
photoperiod
organisms that are adapted to live at high temperatures
thermophiles
trees that bear needles (as opposed to leaves)
coniferous
the recording of the changing behavior of organisms through the season
phenology
something that can be consumed by an organism and, as a result becomes unavailable to another
resource
an organism that manufactures its own organic material from inorganic sources
autotroph
conspicuous appearance of organism that is noxious or distasteful
aposematism
an organism which is able to generate heat within itself to raise its body temperature significantly
endotherm
a state of arrested development or growth, accompanied by greatly decreased meatabolism, often correlated with seasons, usually applied only to insects
diapause
the resemblance of an organism either to another organism or to a nonliving object
mimicry
on organism that consumes parts of many prey organisms, but does not (usually) kill its prey, at least not immediately
grazer
form of behavior of an organism that makes it difficult to detect eg. camouflage
crypsis
an organism that feeds on dead plants and animals
decomposer
an organism that feeds on one or very few host plants or animals while they are alive but does not (usually) kill the host, at least not immediately
parasite
the loss of rigidity of non-woody parts of plants (mostly due to water loss)
wilting
the habituation of an organism’s physiological response to environmental conditions (usually applied to laboratory environments)
acclimation
an organism that feeds on energy-rich organic molecules (animals, fungi, most bacteria) and that is not able to produce molecules itself
heterotroph
a plant that grows on another plant, especially one that is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests
epiphyte
another word for taiga
boreal forest
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period
climate
the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc
weather
the biome that occurs around the Arctic circle, characterized by lichens, mosses, sedges, and dwarf trees
tundra
a layer of permanently frozen soil
permafrost
a large-scale atmospheric convection cell in which air rises at the equator and sinks at medium latitudes, typically about 30° north or south
Hadley cell
a part of the shoreline that is submerged at high tide but exposed to air at low tide
intertidal zone
The time or date (twice each year) at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest and shortest days (about 21 June and 22 December)
solstice
a region in the lee of mountains that receives less rainfall than the region windward of the mountains
rain shadow
the side that faces the prevailing, or trade winds
windward
the side that faces away from the prevailing, or trade winds
leeward
the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream
estuary
a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.
biome
a line notionally drawn on the earth equidistant from the poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°
Equator
a large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earth’s rotation
ocean gyres
the tropical grassland biome
savanna
an abrupt temperature gradient in a body of water such as a lake, marked by a layer above and below which the water is at different temperatures
thermocline
the surface layer of the ocean where light penetrates
photic zone
a process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface (often this water carries large amounts of nutrients, leading to productive oceanic ecosystems)
upwelling
a tree that is adapted to growth along the banks of a stream
riparian trees
the coniferous forest that extends across much of North America and Eurasia bounded by tundra to the North and by steppe to the south
taiga
a desolate and barren region, usually deficient in available water, and with scant vegetation
desert
the number of species present in a community
species richness
organisms that grow by the repeated production of “modules” such as leaves, coral polyps etc
modular
the organism developed from a zygote (the term is used especially for modular organisms)
genet
a graph showing the number or proportion of individuals surviving to each age for a given species or group
survivorship curve
a life table that is constructed from the age structure of a population at a single moment in time
static life table
an offshoot formed by vegetative growth in modular organisms that is actually or potentially physiologically independent
module
species that breed repeatedly, devoting some of their resources during a breeding period not to breeding itself, but to survival to further breeding episodes
iteroparous
the spreading of individuals away from each other, (e.g. of offspring from their parents and from regions of high density to regions of lower density)
dispersal
structural individuals which consist of only one module (the contrast is with modular organisms)
unitary organisms
organisms with a short life cycle, especially plants whose seeds germinate, grow to produce new seeds, and then die all in a short period, often less than 8 weeks
ephemerial
modular organisms in which colonies spread laterally and remain joined by “stolons”
stoloniferous
the number of eggs, or seeds, or generally offspring, produced by an individual
fecundity
competition between members of the same species
intraspecific
water that is stored between the soil particles
interstitial water
competition between two organisms, in which one physically excludes the other from a portion of habitat and hence from the resources that could be exploited there
interference competition
species that have a single reproductive episode after which they die
semelparous
