Ecology Flashcards
Define Ecology….
the study of how organisms relate to one another and to their environment.
At what levels is Ecology studied?
The population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels.
Define population….
individuals of a single species that live together and may breed with each other
Define an ecological community…
All the different populations living and coexisting in an area.
Define non-living factors of an ecological community…
Parts of nature that are not living things, but interact w/ the living things in the community. Ex. Humidity, nutrients in soil, climate change.
Define ecosystem…
All the living populations, together with the non living factors of the environment coexisting and influencing one another.
Give some examples of some ecosystems…
Lake, Forest, Grassland, Ocean
Define Biosphere…
All of the ecosystems that support life on Earth…basically Mother Nature
What needs to be considered if you are going to study something at the ecosystem level?
Both the living animals/plants, and non living factors and how they influence each other.
Define Interspecific interactions…
Interactions between different species…
Define the mutualism interaction…
Both species benefit from each other.
Define the predation interaction…
The predator benefits from presence of prey and the prey harmed by presence of predator
Define the competition interaction…
Both species harm or negatively influence each other.
Define the symbiotic interaction…
Both species need to live in close proximity to each other…almost like passive mutualism
Define parasitic interaction
One species benefits, while the other is harmed.
Define the commensalism interaction…
One species benefits, but the other one isn’t affected.
Define foundation species, and give an ex.
The most abundant species that have the most impact in the community and most likely impact other species. Ex. Kelp in a kelp forest, act as shelter and food for many other species there.