Ecology/Biodiversity Flashcards
Biotic
The living
Community
A group of Biotic species
Abiotic
Non-living
Keystone Species
Species upon which a community is dependent
Watershed
All land that drains into a river system
Trophic Level 1
Producers
Trophic Level 2
Primary consumer
Trophic Level 3
Secondary Consumer
Trophic Level 4
Tertiary Consumer
Eutrophication
Excess richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water
Competitive Exclusion Principle
Survival of the Fittest
Niche
A species job
Habitat
A species home
Fundamental Niche
A species potential niche
Realized Niche
The niche the species actually takes up (smaller than possible usually)
Symbiotic Mutualism
Organisms benefit each other
Commensalism
One benefits, the other is unharmed
Parasitism
One organism benefits, one is negatively affected
Resource Partitioning
Organization; species sharing resources and avoiding competition
Genetic Drift
A change in the gene frequency not caused by natural selection
Species
A group of individuals that share, or can share, from a common gene pool
Speciation
Formation of a new or distinct species in the course of evolution
Bioaccumulation
When pollutants enter a food chain
Biomagnification
The concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely dispersed
Geographic Isolation
Physical barrier that separates species
Charles Darwin
Famous for creating the theory of Natural Selection
Biodiversity
The variety of living organisms in an area
Evolution
The printable changes that shape the appearance and function of an organism over time
4 observations leading to natural selection
- All species produce offspring
- Variability between individuals
- The environment is always changing
- This variability can be inherited
Specialization
An adaptation of a body part to a particular function or of an organism for life in a particular environment
