Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The study of the interactions between living things and between organisms and their environment.
Biosphere
That part of the planet containing living organisms
Ecosystem
A group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment as a unit.
Habitat
The place where a plant or animal lives
Population
All the members of the same species living in an area
Community
All the different populations in an area
Abiotic factors
Non living factors
Biotic factors
Living factors
Edaphic factors
Relate to soil
Pyramid of numbers
Represents the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain
Ecological niche
The functional role an organism place in the community
Nutrient recycling
The way in which elements are exchanged between living and non-living components of an ecosystem.
Nitrogen fixation
The conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia or nitrate
Nitrification
The conversion of ammonia and ammonium compounds to nitrite and then to nitrate.
Denitrification
The conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas
Pollution
Any harmful additions o the environment
Pollutants
Harmful additions to the environment
Conservation
The wise management of the existing natural resources in an ecosystem in order to maintain a wide range of habitats and prevent the death and extinction of organisms
Competition
Occurs when organisms actively struggle for a resource that is in short supply
Intra-specific competition
Takes place between members of the same species
Inter-specific competition
Occurs between members of different species
Contest competition
There is an active physical struggle between two individual organisms where one wins.
Scramble competition
Where all of the competing individuals get some of the resource
Predation
The catching killing and eating of another organism
