Ecology Flashcards
Herbivory
those who eat plants
Predation
those who eat their prey
Parasitism
parasites that benefit from their host
Pathogenicity
microorganism, such as virus, capable of causing disease to its host
Mutualism
when both parties benefit from each other
Intraspecific competition
interactions, relationships that occur between the same species. Cooperation, competition
Interspecific competition
relationship, interaction between different species within an ecosystem
Carrying capacity
the maximum number of individuals of a species that an area can support
top-down control
the ecological control of a population by predation or other factors that act from higher trophic levels. F.e. marine fish populations is controlled by predation from top predators
bottom-up control
regulation of a population by factors originating from lower trophic level, such as availability of resources.
Matter
Anything that occupies space and has mass. F.e. nutritiens, gases. Essential for the functioning of living organisms
Energy
ability to perform work or cause change. It is required for biological processes such as growth, reproduction
Open system + example
Allows both energy and matter to be exchanged with its surroundings. Tropical rainforests, grasslands
Closed system + example
allows for the exchange of energy with the surrounding environments but restricts the flow of matter. Energy can enter and exit, matter stays. Hairdryes, earth
Isolated systems
Neither energy nor matter are exchanged with the surroundings.
Food webs
models that consist of many interconnected food chains
I. heterotroph and autotroph
heterotroph - organism that eats other plats or animals for energy and nutritients.
autotroph - organism that can produce its own food using light, water, co2 or other chemicals
II. Producer
organism that make their own food
II. Consumer
organism that ingests other organic matter that is living or recently killed
II. Detritivore
a heterotroph, organism that consume dead or decaying organic matter, to obtain energy and nutrition. F.e. earthworms, seaz cucumbers
II. Saprotroph
heterotrophs that obtain organic nutritients from dead ogrniams by external ingestion. F.e. fungi, mushrooms, bacteria
III. photosynthetic
does photosynthesisI
III. primary consumer
eats plants and provides energy for other consumers
III. secondary consumer
eats primary consumer
III. tertiary consumer
eats secondary consumer
III. decomposer
break down dead organic matter into simpler substances. Bacteria, fungi
why is there energy loss and how much percent
90% lost to metabolic heat, are not digestible
primary production
rate at which producers accumulate carbon compounds in their biomass
carbon cycle
the process that moves carbon between plants animals microbes in the earth and the atmosphere
what molecules are involved in carbon cycle
carbon dioxide, methane and glucose
what happens when co2 reacts with water
it produces carbonic acis which produces hydrogen ions.
carbon sink
a reservoir which absorbs more carbon than it releases. plants, soil
Stability of an ecosystem
the ability to maintain its structure and function over time, despite challenges and disturbances
Stable ecosystems examples
tropical rainforests, coral reefs, boreal forests, sonoran desert
Factors affecting stability of an ecosystem
Supply of energy - without a steady sypple, ecosystems would collapse
Recycling of nutrients - helps to maintain the diversity of an ecosystem
Biodiversity - ensures that there are enough to fulfill various ecological roles, which creates a resilient ecosystem
tipping point
the threshold of a change that results in a significant ad often irreversable change in an ecosystems structure, function or composition
Transpiration
trees absorb water from the ground with their roots and release water from theirs leaves as water vapour
Percentage change=
(final amount-initial amount):(initial amount)*100%
Mesocosm
enclosed environments that allows a small part of a natural environment to be observed under controlled conditions (small world in a jar)
Keystone species + examples
they have alarge impact on their ecosystem, the absence affect stability of ecosystem. Yellowstone wolves, elephants, parrotfish, starfish, beaver
Sustainability
refers to the practice of cultivating and producing agricultural products in a manner that preserves and enchances the long-term environmental, social and ecoomic well-being of farming systems
soil erosion
the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil (Gediminas castle)
Eutrophication
a process by which water bodies become enriched with excessive nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to an overgrowth of algae and other aquatic plants.
Carbon footprint
the amount of carbon dioxide release dinto the atmosphere because of the activities of an individual
Leaching
the loss of water-soluble nutrities from the soil
what leads to eutrophication
use of agricultural fertilizers, industrial waste products, sewage, waste water from industry
Consequences of eutrophication
kills fish, excessive aquatic plant growth, the algan blooms can completely black out sunlight, imbalance in aquatic ecosystems
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
how much oxygen is in the water
Biochemical oxygen demand when eutrophication
goes lower
Biomagnification
happens whem toxic chemicals whose remains in the environment are consumed indirectly by organisms through food. WHen organisms in higher food chain consumes the lower organism containing such chemical
Bioaccumulation
the gradual buildup of chemical substances in the tissues of organisms over time. When the pollutant stays in ur body and how you get more and more
Microplastics
plastics smaller than 5mm
Macroplastics
bigger than 5mm
Impact of microplastics
cause harm to wildlife as they mistake it for food
