Ecology Flashcards
Biosphere
part of the earth in which life exists. including land, water, and air (aka atmosphere)
Ecosystem
all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment
autotroph/producer
organism that is able to capture energy from the sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds
heterotroph/consumer
organism that obtains food by consuming other living things
organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply
omnivore
organisms that obtain energy by eating both plants and animals
food web
network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem
nutrient
chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life
climate
average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in an area over a long period of time. what is the average weather of an area
habitat
area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that effect it
herbivory
interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)
parasitism
symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it. (- +)
primary succession
succession that occurs in an area with no previous life/ community is present. no dirt or soil
population density
number of individuals per unit area
exponential growth
growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate
global warming
increase in the average temperatures on earth
renewable resource
resources that can be produced or replaced by healthy ecosystem functions (ex; solar power, water thing)
acid rain
rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids
habitat fragmentation
splitting of ecosystems into pieces
ozone layer
atmospheric layer in which ozone gas is relatively concentrated; protects life on earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunlight
chemosynthesis
process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates
density-dependent limiting factor
limiting factor that depends on population density
population
group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area
biome
a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms
primary producer
first producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms
carnivore
organism that obtain energy by eating other animals
decomposer
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
trophic level
each step in a food chain or web
limiting nutrient
factor that causes population growth to decrease
microclimate
environmental conditions within a small area that differs significantly from the climate in surrounding areas
niche
full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way the organism uses those conditions
keystone species
single species that is not abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community
commensalism
symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped or harmed
secondary succession
type of succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbances. (has dirt/ soil)
age structure
number of males and females of each age in a population
logistic growth
growth pattern in which a population’s growth slows and then stops following a period of exponential growth
ecological hot spot
small geographical area where significant numbers of habitats and species are in immediate danger of extinction
desertification
lower land productivity caused by over farming, overgrazing, seasonal drought, and climate change
nonrenewable resource
resource that cannot be replenished by a natural process within a reasonable amount of time. (ex. fossil fuels, coal)
sustainable development
strategy for using natural resources without depleting them and for providing human needs without causing long-term environmental harm
biological magnification
increasing concentration of a harmful substance in an organism at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web
community
assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area
biotic factor
any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact
photosynthesis
process used by plants and other heterotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
herbivore
organism that obtains food by consuming other living things
detritivore
organism that feeds on plants and animal remains and other dead matter
ecological pyramid
illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web
weather
day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, and other factors
tolerance
ability of an organism to survive and reproduce under circumstances that differ from their optimal conditions
resource
any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, food, or space
symbiosis
relationship in which two species live close together
(ecological) succession
a series of more or less predictable changes that occur in a community over time
wetland
ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near surface for at least part of the year
immigration
movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population. ( im= in)
carrying capacity
largest number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support
demography
scientific study of human populations
ecological footprint
total amount of functioning ecosystem needed both to provide the resources a human population uses and to absorb the wastes that population generates
pollutant
harmful material that can enter the biosphere through land, air, or water.
biodiversity
total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere; also called biological diversity
ecosystem diversity
variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere
competitive exclusion principle
principle that states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
density- independent limiting factor
limiting factor that affects all populations in a similar ways, regardless of population density
ecology
scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
abiotic factor
physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
scavenger
animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals
food chain
series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
biomass
total amount of living tissue within a trophic level
biogeochemical chain
process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
greenhouse effect
process in which certain gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor) trap sunlight energy in Earth’s atmosphere as heat
predation
interaction in which one organism (the predator) captures and feeds on another organism (the prey)
pioneer species
first species to populate an area during succession
estuary
kind of wetland formed where a river meets the ocean
smog
gray-brown haze formed by mixture of chemicals
mutualism
symbiotic relationship in which both species benefits from the relationship
emigration
movement of individuals out of an area
limiting factor
factor that causes population growth to decrease
monoculture
farming strategy of planting a single, highly productive crop year after year
deforestation
destruction of forests
genetic diversity
sum total of all the different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or by all the organisms on earth
species diversity
number of different species that make up a particular area
