Ecology Vocab Flashcards
Energy Flow
Refers to the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another in the food chain and food web. It is unidirectional and energy is lost from one trophic level to another in the form of heat. Sunlight is the ultimate energy source
What is the 10 percent rule and what are its effects?
As you go up a trophic pyramid, the amount of energy available is divided by 10. This massive energy loss between trophic levels explains why food chains can’t contain more than a few
levels. It takes billions of primary producers (plants) to support millions of primary consumers, which support a few secondary consumers. This is why there are so few large carnivores on Earth
Producers
Make energy from sunlight
Energy Pyramid
compares the total amount of energy available in each trophic level. This energy is usually measured in kilocalories.
Biomass Pyramid
compares the total dry weight of the organisms in each trophic level.
Numbers pyramid
compares the number of individuals in each trophic level.
Ecological pyramid
a graph representing trophic level numbers within an ecosystem. The primary producer level is at the base of the pyramid with the consumer levels above
Taiga
The largest land biome. Characterized by conifer forests and cold temperatures. Boreal forest is usually used to refer to the more southerly part of the biome.
Symbiotic relationship
Species interaction in which two kinds of organisms live together in an intimate association. Members of the participating species may be harmed by, benefit from, or be unaffected by the interaction
Synergy
Is the term used to describe a situation where the final outcome of a system is greater than the sum of its parts.
Symbiosis
Any intimate relationship or association between members of two or more species
Uniform Distribution
A rare type of population distribution where the population is evenly spread out
Trophic level
All organisms that are the same number of energy transfers away from the original source of energy that enters the ecosystem
Tertiary Consumer
An organism that consumes a secondary consumer.
Sustainability
Ability of something to be maintained over a period of time.
S-shaped curve
Leveling off of an exponential, J-shaped curve when a rapidly growing population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment and ceases to grow
Species diversity
the different kinds of species and their abundance in a given unit area, further divided into species richness, species evenness, and species
dominance.
Secondary succession
Ecological succession in an area in which natural vegetation has been removed or destroyed but the soil is not destroyed
Organism
Any form of life
Nutrient
Any food or element an organism must take in to live, grow, or reproduce
Secondary Consumer
An organism that consumes a primary consumer
Omnivore
Animal that can use both plants and animals as a food source
Second law of thermodynamics
n any conversion of heat energy to useful work, some of the initial energy input is always degraded to lower quality, more dispersed, less useful energy
Scavenger
Organism that feeds on dead organisms that were killed by other organisms or died naturally
Rhizobia
Soil bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside root nodules of legumes
r-selected species
Species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period. Put most of their energy into rapid growth and reproduction. This is common of
organisms that occupy unpredictable environments,
Primary succession
Ecological succession in a bare area that has never been occupied by a community of organisms
Primary consumer
Organism that feeds on all or part of plants or on other producers
Producer
Organism that uses solar or chemical energy to manufacture the organic compounds it needs as nutrients from simple inorganic compounds obtained from its environment
Predation
A symbiotic relationship in which a member of one species, predator, eats all or part of the body of a member of another species, prey.
Population
Group of individual organisms of the same species living in a particular area
Pioneer community
First integrated set of plants, animals, and decomposers found in an area undergoing primary ecological succession. The first organisms to occupy an area.
Phosphorus Cycle
Involves the uptake of phosphorus by organisms. Phosphorus in the environment is mainly found in rocks, and natural weathering processes can make it available to biological systems. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and animals in the form of ions PO43- and HPO42- . It is a part of DNA-molecules and RNA-molecules, molecules that store energy (ATP and ADP) and of fats of cell membranes.
Perennial Herbaceous
A perennial plant that has stems that die at the end of the growing season, but parts of the plant survive under or close to the ground from season to season (for biennials, until the next growing season, when they flower and die). New growth develops from living tissues remaining on or under the ground, including roots, a caudex (a thickened portion of the stem at ground level) or various types of underground stems, such as bulbs, corms, stolons, rhizomes and tubers.
Parasitism
Interaction between species in which one organism, called the parasite, preys on another organism, the host
Muskeg
An acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas, more-or-less synonymous with bogland
Mullerian Mimicry
natural phenomenon in which two or more well-defended species have come to mimic each other’s honest warning signals, to their mutual benefit
Limiting factor
Single factor that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of the population of a species in an ecosystem. Any resource that is in short supply.
Nitrogen fixation
The process of chemically converting nitrogen gas (N 2 ) from the air into compounds, such as nitrates (NO 3 ), nitrites (NO 2 ), or ammonia (NH 3 ), that can be used by plants in building amino acids and other nitrogen-containing organic molecules.
Nitrogen Cycle
Cyclistic movement of nitrogen in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment
Nitrification
The process of oxidizing ammonia to create nitrite (NO2−)then oxidizing the nitrite to create nitrate (NO3-)
Niche
An organisms ecological role, which is defined by the set of conditions, resources, and interactions it needs
Mutualism
A symbiotic relationship in which both participate species generally benefit
K-selected species
Species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproductive age. Put most of their energy into growth. They are common in stable environments
near carrying capacity,
J-shaped curve
Curve with a shape similar to that of the letter J; can represent prolonged exponential growth. Rarely happen due to limiting factors stopping growth.
Intraspecific competition
Attempts by two or more organisms of a single species to use the same limited resources in an ecosystem
Keystone species
species whose role in an ecosystem are more important than others. Not sure about this but keep it in mind: They may be disproportionate/ their role is much larger than how many of them are in the community/amount of biomass.
Interspecific Competition
competition between different species
Indicator Species
A species that gives an early warning that an ecosystem is in a state of flux or being damaged, often times fish and amphibians or apex predators
Heterotroph
Organism that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients it needs and gets its organic nutrients by feeding off of the tissues of producers or of other consumers
Herbivore
Plant-eating organism
Habitat
Place or type of place where an organism or population of organisms lives
Gross primary productivity
the amount of chemical energy, typically expressed as carbon biomass, that primary producers create in a given length of time. This includes respiration.
Grassland
Biome found in regions where moderate annual average precipitation (25-76 cm) is enough to support the growth of grass and small plants but not enough to support large stands of trees
Global warming
Warming of the earth’s atmosphere because of increases in the concentrations of one or more greenhouse gasses primarily as a result of human activities
Gene pool
The sum total of all the genes that exist among all the individuals of a species
Food Web
Complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding relationships
Food chain
Series of organisms in which each eats or decomposes the preceding one
Extinct/Extinction
A species that is no longer living on earth/the disapearance of a species of living organisms
Extant
A species that is still alive and reproducing
Exponential Growth
the population growth rate —the number of organisms added in each generation—increases as the population gets larger
(Doesn’t occur in nature due to limiting factors)
Environment
All external conditions and factors, living and nonliving, that affect an organism or other specified system during its lifetime
Ecology
Study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their nonliving environment
Ecosystem
A community plus its abiotic factors/a community of organisms interacting within a particular physical environment
Distribution
Area over which we can find a species
Detritus
Parts of dead organisms and cast-off fragments and wastes of living organisms
Detritivore
Consumer organism that feeds on detritus, parts of dead organisms, and cast-off fragments and wastes of living organisms
Desertification
Conversion of rangeland, rain-fed cropland, or irrigated cropland to desert-like land, with a drop of agricultural productivity of 10% or more
Some causes include deforestation, bad livestock practices like overgrazing, and bad agricultural practices like not practicing crop rotation.
Desert
Biome in which evaporation exceeds precipitation and the average amount of precipitation is less than 25 centimeters a year. Such areas have little vegetation or have widely spaced, mostly low vegetation.
Denitrification
The reduction of nitrates back into nitrogen gas (N2), completing the nitrogen cycle. This process is performed by bacterial species such as Pseudomonas and Clostridium in anaerobic conditions.
Deforestation
Removal of trees from a forested area without adequate replanting
Decomposer
Organism that digests parts of dead organisms and cast-off fragments and wastes of living organisms by breaking down the complex organic molecules in those materials into simpler inorganic compounds and then absorbing the soluble nutrients. Obtain their energy by breaking down the remains or
products of organisms
Consumer
Organism that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients it needs and gets its organic nutrients by feeding off of the tissues of producers or of other consumers
Competition
Two or more individual organisms of a single species (intraspecific competition) or two or more individuals of different species (interspecific competition) attempting to use the same scarce resources in the same ecosystem
Commensalism
An interaction between organisms of different species in which one type of organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed to any great degree
Community
Populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a particular time
Cohort
A group of individuals born around the same time
Clumped Distribution
The most common type of population distribution where many members of the population live close together
Climax community
Stable, self-perpetuating array of species in balance with one
another and their habitat, will form in the final stage of ecological succession.
Chemosynthesis
Process in which certain organisms (mostly specialized bacteria) extract inorganic compounds from their environment and convert them into organic nutrient compounds without the presence of sunlight
Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of organisms that an environment can support
Carbon Cycle
Cyclic movement of carbon in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms then back to the environment
Biotic potential
Maximum rate at which the population of a given species can increase when there are no limits on its rate of growth
Biotic
Living or once living organisms.(Bunny, Dead Bunny)
Biome
Terrestrial regions inhabited by certain types of life, certain climate and vegetation
Biomass
Organic matter produced by plants and other photosynthetic producers; total dry weight of all living organisms that can be supported at each trophic level in a food chain or web; the total quantity or weight oforganismsin a given area or volume.
Biodiversity
Variety of different species (species diversity), genetic variability among individuals within a species (genetic diversity), variety of ecosystems (ecological diversity), and functions such as energy flow and matter cycling needed for the survival of a species and biological communities
Batesian Mimicry
.a form of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a predator of them both. If they share the same predators, this coloration protects the harmless species, even though its members do not actually have the physical or chemical defenses of the organism they mimic
Autotroph
Organism that uses solar or chemical energy to manufacture the organic compounds it needs as nutrients from simple inorganic compounds obtained from its environment (think producers)
Assimilation
The process by which plants absorb nitrate or ammonium through root hairs to be used within the plant
Anaerobic
relating to, involving, or requiring an absence of free oxygen.
Ammonification
The process by which decomposers change nitrogen in detritus to ammonium (NH4+)
Amensalism
Two organisms in a symbiotic relationship in which one is unaffected and one is harmed (the black walnut tree secretes juglone which kills the plants living at base of tree, but the lack of competition doesn’t help or harm the tree). This is a very rare type of symbiosis.
Aerobic
Living or occurring only in the presence of oxygen
Adaptation
a change or the process of change by which anorganism or. species becomes better suited to its environment.
Nutrient Cycling
a cyclic process that encompasses the movement of nutrients from the physical environment to living organisms and back to the environment. Nutrients are present on the earth where they are recycled, transformed into different forms and reutilized.
Also:All nutrients in an ecosystem follow
a cycle
Nutrients go through the phases of this cycle
Can be found in any of the phases
What are the 6 main nutrient cycles?
Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Water, and Phosphorus, and Carbon
What methods can we use to stop erosion?
All of these: contour plowing, wind breaks, leaving unploughed grass trip in-between plowed land, Making sure that there are always plants growing on the soil, and that the soil is rich in humus (organic material that holds the soil together), conserving wetlands, allowing indigenous plants to grow along the river bank, and encouraging biodiversity by planting differing types of plants together.
What is the impact of plants on erosion?
These help prevent soil erosion because they slow water(runoff), hold the soil in position, and can break the impact of a raindrop. The loss of these due to deforestation, fires, and overgrazing can lead to increased erosion. This allows for fewer of these to grow, and the cycle repeats again.
The 2 main agents of erosion
Wind and Water
The 2 primary chemicals that cause acid rain
Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen oxides
What is Dry Deposition?
Deposition through particles or gasses that are acidic. Wind blows these particles onto other surfaces like buildings or cars. Rain can wash these particles from trees, and this adds more acidity to the acid rain.
Wet Deposition
Deposition through acidic liquids like rain or fog. As these liquids flow into and in the ground, they impact the organism living in the areas they are affecting.
Greenhouse Effect
When the sun heats up earth, but the earth radiates the energy back into space. However, gasses (primarily created through the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities) trap the heat and thereby heat up the earth leading to climate change and global warming.
Passive Movement
an organism using an external force to move themselves
Active Movement
movement that requires an animal to use a body part to move themselves
Cosmopolitan Species
Species that have ranges over entire continents
Endemic Species
Species concentrated to a small area
Geographic Range
Where a species lives, eats, and reproduces
Age of Reproduction
average age and organism becomes able to have offspring
the process in which humans/breeders choose traits that should be passed on the next generation
Artificial Selection
Limiting Factors
Actors which hinder population growth- Lack of food or water is a good example
when natural selection likes one allele more, so allele frequency shifts in one way
Directional Selection
a form of natural selection where the individuals at the end/extremes of the distribution are favored. Those at the ends survive longer and reproduce more, thereby increasing the population with the extreme traits.
Disruptive Selection
a form of natural selection wherein individuals with moderate or average phenotypes are more fit (more likely to survive and reproduce)
Stabilizing Selection
Natural Selection
When there is variation within a species, the individuals with the most useful traits tend to survive and pass on their traits to the next generation - making their trait more common or even a general characteristic of the species
In evolution, certain alleles or traits in a species/population will be subject to this. Under this , individuals with more desirable/advantageous traits will be more successful reproducing then other animals. This increases the frequency of that trait in the succeeding generations and so on.
Selection
Logistic Growth
A form of growth which is rapid in the beginning but as they near the carrying capacity, they will level off. This type of growth produces an S-shaped curve
Logistic growth is density dependent, i.e., the growth is affected by the density of individuals.
Doubling Time
Amount of time required to double the population
Type 1 Survivorship Curve
High survivorship throughout their life cycle. Represent populations whose organisms tend to survive beyond their young and middle-ages and die when they become elderly. These organisms usually have small numbers of offspring and provide lots of parental care to make sure those offspring survive.
Organisms with Type 1 Survivorship Curve
Humans, Elephants, Gorillas, Hippos, and other mammals
Organisms with Type 2 Survivorship Curve
rodents, adult birds, certain turtle species, songbirds, squirrels, coral
Organisms with Type 3 Survivorship Curve
Trees, marine invertebrates, and most fish, oysters, insects
Survivorship Curve
graphs that show what fraction of a population survives from one age to the next.
Type 2 Survivorship Curve
Organisms die more or less equally at each age interval. Organisms with this type of survivorship curve may also have relatively few offspring and provide significant parental care. Die at a constant rate.
Type 3 Survivorship Curve
It describes organisms with a high death rate (or low survivorship rate) immediately following birth.
What is a plot map?
Graphical representations used in ecological research
Show distribution and arrangement of
sampling plots or study sites
Provide spatial overview for systematic
data collection
Help understand spatial patterns, species
distributions, and community structures
Ocean Acidification
decrease in pH of Earth’s waters over time (lower pH -
more acidic) Because of human-driven increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, there is more CO2 dissolving into the ocean. The ocean’s average pH is now around 8.1 , which is basic (or alkaline), but as the ocean continues to absorb more CO2, the pH decreases and the ocean becomes more acidic.
Drops in immune response to other organisms and can lead to destruction of coral. Calcium carbonate is used by organisms to build shells and as nutrients but ocean acidification is reducing the amount of it ,harming some marine organisms.
Acid rain
when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted
into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. They then
mix with other materials.
Invasive Species
Introduction of animals and plants to an environment that they don’t belong in
3 examples of invasive species
-Burmese python in Florida
-Introduction of House sparrows from Europe to New York in 1852
-Emerald Ash Borer-introduced to Europe and North American and destroys ash trees
Effects of invasive species
Can outcompete native plants and animals
○ Devastate communities
○ Disturb existing food webs
What is Solar Energy and what is it’s Pro’s and Cons
Solar panels take in sun rays and convert it into electricity
○ Pros: reduces/eliminates electric bills, improves home value, reduces carbon footprint,
renewable energy sources
○ Cons: dependent on sunlight, expensive to install panels, not viable for all roofs
What is Wind Energy and what are it’s Pros and Cons
Wind turbines kinetic energy is converted to electricity
○ Pros: renewable source, reduces carbon footprint
○ Cons: somewhat expensive to construct turbines, usually operates at just 30% capacity
What is Hydroelectric/Water Energy and what is its pros and cons
○ Running water enters through a dam, spins a turbine that then generates electricity
○ Pros: renewable energy source, can meet electricity demands, low operating cost
○ Cons: expensive to construct
What is Nuclear Energy and what is its pros and cons
○ Fission and fusion
○ Pros: reduces carbon footprint, reliable, very powerful
○ Cons: nuclear waste, risk of accidents, non renewable
What is reclamation and reintroduction
Reclamation of disturbed areas:
○ the process of repairing or restoring disturbed land to its original state. Land
reclamation is an important part of the construction, mining, forestry, and agricultural industries, as those
industries generally disturb the soil with the use of heavy earth-moving machinery.
○ Ex: land dredging
● Reintroduction of species:
○ The deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas
where the animal survives. Specifically, moves captive-born wild animals into their historic range.
○ Helps maintain biodiversity
○ Ex: wolves being reintroduced to a wild area to curb an overpopulation of deer
Point-source pollution vs non-point-source pollution
Point-source pollution is easy to identify. As the name suggests, it comes from a single place and a clearly identifiable location. Nonpoint-source pollution is harder to identify and harder to address. It is pollution that comes from many places, all at once.
R-selection vs K-selection
R-Selected- Occurs in unstable environments where there are ecological disruptions and resources are used for maximising reproduction
There are usually many offspring per brood, which require little parental care and have a high rate of mortality
The body size of offspring is typically small and they have an early onset of maturity (short developmental span)
Population size is typically variable (highly fluctuating) and an example of a r-selected organism is a pioneer species
K-selected- Predominates in stable or predictable environments where resources are used for maximising long-term survival
There are usually very few offspring per brood, each requiring high levels of parental care (resulting in low mortality)
The body size of offspring is typically larger and they have a late onset of maturity (long developmental span)
Population size is typically stable (reaches carrying capacity) and an example of K-selection is a climax species
What is biomass?
Renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored chemical energy from the sun that is produced by plants through photosynthesis. Biomass can be burned directly for heat or converted to liquid and gaseous fuels through various processes.
Another definition is the total quantity or weight oforganismsin a given area or volume.
What is Species Richness?
the number of species within a defined region. The species richness of a region is obtained through sampling or via a census. The higher the species richness the more stable it is.
What is Alpha or Point Diversity
diversity on a local scale, describing the species diversity (richness) within a functional community
What is Beta Diversity?
the ratio between the regional and local species diversity. Another definition is species diversity b/w two adjacent ecosystems and is obtained by comparing the number of species unique to each ecosystem.
What is Gamma Diversity?
the species richness within an entire region. As the area being surveyed approaches that of the entire region, alpha diversity approaches gamma diversity and beta diversity approaches zero.
Conservation Biology
the scientific study of nature and of Earth’s biodiversity with the aim of
protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions.
What is intraspecific competition?
Competition between individuals from the same species
Biosphere
the portion of the earth that contains living species. It includes the atmosphere,
oceans, soils and the physical and biological cycles that affect them
Population Ecology
the study of how populations interact with their environment
Habitat
where a species normally lives
Population size
number of individuals making up a populations gene pool
Population density
number of individuals per unit of area or volume, e.g., persons/square mile
Population distribution
the general pattern in which the population members are dispersed through
its habitat, may be:
Age Structure
defines the relative proportions of individuals of each age in a population. These proportions are of pre-reproductive, reproductive and post- reproductive age
individuals in a population. The age structure of a population will determine its future
Zero Population Growth
The population is neither declining nor growing. There is a near balance of births and death
Biotic Potential
the maximum rate of
increase under ideal conditions. Few populations live under ideal conditions because a number of factors limit their growth
Life Table
An age-specific death schedule. Such a schedule is often converted to a survivorship
schedule. For each age interval there is a predicted life expectancy or survivorship
Ecologists divide populations into age classes and assign birth rates and mortality risks to each class
Community Ecology
the study of how different species interact within communities
Potential Niche
what a species could do with no competitors or resource limitations
Realized Niche
the part of the fundamental niche that a species actually occupies in nature
Neutral
A symbiotic relationship in which there are two species that don’t interact at all
Predation
An interaction beneficial to one species and detrimental to another. In this case the prey is
killed. Predators are those that kill and eat other animals. Although many organisms eat plants, they
usually don’t kill them because they are a constant supply of food. Prey are killed and eaten.
Primary producers are what in an ecosystem?
Autotrophs
Hebrivores
Consumers that eat plants
Carnivores
Consumers that eat animals
Omnivores
Consumers that eat both plants and animals
Detrivores
decomposers which eat detritus organic wastes and dead organisms
What is the 1st trophic level and what does it contain?
Contains the autotrophs which build energy containing molecules.
They also absorb nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur
and other molecules necessary for life
They provide both an energy-fixation base as
well as the nutrient-concentration base for ecosystems
What are the 2 types of autotrophs?
Photoautotrophs and Chemoautotrophs
Photoautotrophs
Plants and some Protista. They are organisms that use light energy and inorganic carbon to produce organic materials.
Chemoautotrophs
Bacteria. An organism that obtains energy by the oxidation of electron donors in their environments.
What is the 2nd trophic level and what does it contain?
Contains the primary consumers which eat the primary producers including herbivores, decomposers, and detritivores
What is the 3rd trophic level and what does it contain?
Contains the secondary consumers, primary carnivores which eat the herbivores,
What is the 4th trophic level and what does it contain?
Contains the tertiary consumers, secondary carnivores who eat the primary carnivores
What is the order of trophic pyramids from bottom to top?
- Producers
- 1st order Consumer or Herbivore
- 2nd order Consumer or 1st order Carnivore
- 3rd order Consumer or 2nd order Carnivore
- 4th order Consumer or 3rd order Carnivore
Not included usually = decomposers
