Glossary Flashcards
imprinting
tendency for an animal
to follow (parent) or associate with a object
is sees during… a sensitive period… in early in life
Innate Behaviour
Any behaviour that is not learnt
Trial and error
type of learning where
a animal carries out a certain behaviour and remembering the attempt and result
changes its behaviour in order to
improve the chance of success
Nocturnal
active at night
Territorial
Animal behaviour involving the defining of a territory (or area)
and its defence against other animals
especially against its own species and gender
Salinity
Increased levels of salt (largely sodium chloride) in water or soil
Biotic
Relating to the biological parts of the environment
Abiotic
Relating to the physical parts of the environment
Community
All the living organisms in a habitat;
the living part of the ecosystem
Ecosystem
System formed by organisms interacting with one another and their physical environment
Biogeochemical Cycle
Circulation of a chemical element,
such as phosphorus, carbon, nitrogen, or molecule water
within an ecosystem
Carbon fixation
Process by which photosynthetic organisms
such as plant
turn inorganic carbon (usually carbon dioxide) into organic compounds (carbohydras)
Food Chain
Organisms linked together by their feeding relationships
e.g producers are eaten by first order consumes.. which are then eaten by second order consumers.
Food Web
A series of interacting food chains link up to form a food web
Producer
Organism that manufactures its own food
Detritivores
Consumer organism (earthworm)
eats dead organic matter
which accumulates In ecosystem
Decomposers
Organism whose ecological function
involves the recycling of nutrients
by feeding on dead and decaying organism
Bioaccumulation
Concentration of substances (toxins)
along food chains
in ecosystems
Biomagnification
Process where the tissue concentration
of a contaminant
increases
as it passes up the food chain through two or more trophic levels
Cellular Respiration
Glucose + Oxygen —> water + carbon dioxide + energy
-complete breakdown of glucose to provide energy
-Second aerobic stage
which occurs in the mitochondria
and produces 36-38 molecules of ATP
per molecule of glucose.
Nerve
whitish and elastic bundle of fibres with accompanying tissues which transmits nervous impulses between nerve centres and various parts of the body
Hormone
Chemical produced by cells in one part of an organism
and
transported throughout the organism
to sites where it affects cells capable of responding
Osmoregulation
maintenance of constant osmotic pressure in the fluids of an organism
by the control of water and salt concentrations
Nitrogenous Wastes
waste products from
the breakdown of proteins
includes ammonia, urea and uric acid