Ecology Flashcards
Biosphere
The entire portion of the Earth inhabited by life. Sum of all the plate’s ecosystems.
Global Ecology
Examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials influence the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere.
landscape/ seascape
Mosaic of connected ecosystems.
Landscape Ecology
Focuses on factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems.
Ecosystem
Community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which those organisms interact.
Ecosystem Ecology
Emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment.
Community
Group of populations of different species in an area
Community Ecology
Examines how species interactions, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization.
Population
Group of individuals of the same species living in an area.
Population Ecology
Analyzes factors that affect population sizes and how and why it changes through time.
Organismal Ecology
How and organisms structure, physiology, and behavior meet challenges posed by its environment.
Ecology
Scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Tropics
Those regions that lie between 23.5 degrees North and 23.5 degrees South.
Climate
Long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area
Macroclimate
Weather patterns global, regional, and landscape level.
Microclimate
Very fine, localized weather patterns, such as those encountered by the community ohm organisms.
Abiotic
Non-living factors that influence the distribution and abundance of organisms.
Biotic
Living factors or other organisms in an environment.
Biome
Any of the worlds major ecosystem types. Often classified by predominant vegetation for terrestrial biomes and physical environment for aquatic biomes.
Climograph
Plot of the annual mean temperature and precipitation in a particular region.
Ectone
Area of integration between biomes.
Canopy
Upper most layer in a terrestrial biomes.
Disturbance
An event such as fire, storm, or human activity that changes a community, removing organism from it and altering resource availability.
Tropical rain forest
Terrestrial biome characterized by relatively high precipitation and temperatures year-round.
Tropical dry rain forest
Terrestrial biome characterized by relatively high precipitation and temperatures year-round, but with a pronounced dry season.
Savanna
Tropical grassland biomes with scattered individual trees and large herbivores and maintained by occasional fires and drought.
Temperate Grasslands
Terrestrial biome that exists at midlatitude regions and is dominated by grasses and forbs.
Northern Coniferous Rainforest
Terrestrial biomes that characterized by long, cold winters and dominated by cone-bearing trees.
Temperate Broadleaf Forest
Biome located throughout midlatitude regions where there is sufficient moisture to support growth of large, broadleaf deciduous trees.
Tundra
Terrestrial biomes at the extreme limits of plant growth.
Photic Zone
Top layer of aquatic biomes where there is sufficient light for photosynthesis.