Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Biosphere
The regions of the surface and atmosphere of the earth or another planet occupied by living organisms.
Hydrosphere
All the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds.
Lithosphere
The rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Atmosphere
The envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.
Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
-sphere
A globe representing the earth.
Disturbance
The interruption of a settled and peaceful condition.
Deforestation
The action of clearing a wide area of trees.
Soil Erosion
A gradual process of movement and transport of the upper layer of soil (topsoil) by different agents – particularly water, wind, and mass movement – causing its deterioration in the long term.
Carbon Dioxide
A heavy colorless gas that is formed by burning fuels, by the breakdown or burning of animal and plant matter, and by the act of breathing and that is absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis.
Biome
A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.
Climate
The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
Geography
The nature and relative arrangement of places and physical features.
Average Rainfall
The amount of precipitation that we expect per year
Latitude
The angular distance of a place north or south of the earth’s equator, or of the equator of a celestial object, usually expressed in degrees and minutes.
Altitude
The height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.
Community
A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Microorganisms
A microscopic organism, especially a bacterium, virus, or fungus.
Aquatic
Relating to water.
Terrestrial
On or relating to the earth.
Seaweeds
Large algae growing in the sea or on rocks below the high-water mark.
Decomposers
An organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.
Scavengers
An animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse.
Diversity
A range of different things.
Tides
The alternate rising and falling of the sea, usually twice in each lunar day at a particular place, due to the attraction of the moon and sun.
Symbiotic
Involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association.
Filter Feeders
An aquatic animal feeding by filtering out plankton or nutrients suspended in the water.
Intertidal
Of or denoting the area of a seashore which is covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide.
Coral Reef
A ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral.
Photosynthesis
The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.
Algae
A simple, non-flowering, and typically aquatic plant of a large group that includes the seaweeds and many single-celled forms. Algae contain chlorophyll but lack true stems, roots, leaves, and vascular tissue.
Plankton
The small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms, protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals. Many animals are adapted to feed on plankton, especially by filtering the water.
Estuary
The tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.
Spawning
Release or deposit eggs.
Wetland
Land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land.
Filter
A porous device for removing impurities or solid particles from a liquid or gas passed through it.
