HB E 01 Word Flashcards
Abiotic
Physical conditions and non-living resources
Eg Climate, weather soil, nutrients, light.
Adaptation
Evolutionary process
leads to the development or persistence of an organism’s behavior and ability to survive / reproduce.
Ancient Woodland
Continually wooded since before 1600 (in England).
Semi-natural ancient woodland is dominated by naturally regenerated native trees and shrubs.
Autotrophs
Obtain energy from an inorganic source i.e. sunlight or inorganic chemical energy.
i.e. Plants, some bacteria.
Biodiversity
Variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or the entire earth
Biomass
Total weight of all the living organisms, or a designated group of living organisms, in a given area.
Biotic
living organisms. They can also influence the distribution of organisms in an ecosystem.
Calcicole
Plant species confined to soils with high (alkaline) pH
Calcifuge
Plant species confined to soils with low (acidic) pH
Clade
A group of biological taxa (as species) that include all the descendents of one common ancestor.
Altruism
Behaviour of an animal that benefits another at its own expense.
Genotype
The genetic constitution of an individual organism.
Phenotype
The set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.
Ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Endemic
Exclusively native to a particular place or biota.
Biota
The animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
Climax Community
Plant community existing at the stable end point of succession.
Commensalism
Association between two individuals of different species in which one benefits and the other does not gain benefit or disadvantage.
Community
The individuals from a number of species in a particular locality.
Competition
Relationship between individuals using the same resource to each other’s disadvantage. Competition may be exploitation (directly through the depletion of the resource) or interference (through one individual interfering with another’s access to the resource).
Competitive exclusion
A result of competition between two species for a limiting resource in which one species completely eliminates the other. Ecologically identical species cannot co-exist.
Conditions
Abiotic factors influencing the external environment of an organism and, as a consequence, the organism’s functioning.
Conservation
To sustain and develop habitats and species.
Decomposers
Heterotrophic micro-organisms that break down dead organic matter.
Detritivores
Animals that eat dead and usually decaying organic matter.
Distribution
The spatial range of a species, usually on a geographic scale but sometimes on a smaller scale, or the arrangement or spatial pattern of species over its habitat.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid. The molecules inside cells that carry genetic information and pass it from one generation to the next.
Ecology
The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interactions with the environment (including with each other) which cause these patterns of distribution and abundance.
Ecosystem
A system of living organisms and their physical and chemical environment.
Ectotherms
Organisms that rely on external heat sources to regulate body temperature or do not regulate temperature at all.
Endotherms
Organisms that maintain a roughly constant body temperature by generating internal heat.
Enzyme
Proteins produced by cells that act as catalysts in biochemical processes.
Evolution
Change in the characteristics of a species over time and the development of new species through reproductive isolation.
Fecundity
Number of seeds, eggs or offspring produced by an individual.
Food chain
A simple expression of feeding relationships in a community, starting with plants and ending with top carnivores.
Food web
A network of feeding relationships within a community.
Habitat
The type of environment that an organism inhabits.
Herbivores
Animals that eat plant material only.
Heterotrophs
Organisms that obtain energy from complex organic compounds that have been synthesised by other organisms. I.e. Organisms that eat plants and/or other animals.
Hibernation
The state of inactivity of some animals during the winter; marked by a drop in body temperature and metabolic rate
Interspecific competition
Competition between members of two or more species
Intraspecific competition
Competition among members of a single species
Invertebrate
Lacking a backbone, hence an animal without bones e.g. insect, mollusc, jellyfish, worm.
Legume
Plant of the Pea family that forms root nodules containing nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Life cycle
The entire span of life of an organism from the moment of fertilization (or asexual generation) to the time it reproduces in turn.
Metabolic rate
The rate at which the chemical reactions within the cell or organism take place.
Metabolism
The sum of all chemical reactions occurring within the cell or and organism.
Microhabitat
A habitat that is really small e.g. a flower head, underneath the bark of a tree.
Migration
The regular, seasonal movements of animals between breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Mitochondrial DNA
This is the DNA that is transferred through the mitochondria of the egg in reproduction. It is not the same DNA as the chromosomes that mix to create the unique individual (50% each from the egg and sperm). Mitochondrial DNA is therefore passed through the generations via the females and is used for plotting evolutionary pathways.
Mutualism
Association between two individuals of different species in which both benefit.
Mycorrhiza
Fungi developing a mutualistic association with plant roots.
Natural Selection
Differences in reproductive success in nature leading to an increase in the frequency of some genes or gene combinations and to a decrease in the frequency of others (‘Survival of the Fittest’). The mechanism for evolution proposed by Charles Darwin.
Niche
The role played by an organism within a community or ecosystem. The fundamental niche is the range of conditions that can be tolerated and the resources that can be utilised. The realised niche is the proportion of the fundamental niche actually occupied as a result of competition.
Nutrient – Micro, macro
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow, or a substance used in an organism’s metabolism which must be taken in from its environment.
Macronutrients are those used by the body in large amounts (e.g. Carbohydrate).
Micronutrients are those used by the body in small amounts (e.g. Calcium).
Parasitism
Relationship between two individuals of different species where one member benefits and the other is disadvantaged (although not killed until at least after the parasite has successfully reproduced).
pH
A scale from one to fourteen of acidity (1-6) and alkalinity (8-14), 7 being neutral. Actually stands for ‘potential of hydrogen’ and is on a log scale.
Podzols
Free draining, acidic soil where long term leaching has occurred.
Pioneers
Initial plant community in succession, often well adapted to specific abiotic problems associated with a particular substrate.
Plagioclimax
Community maintained in a preclimax state, e.g. by fire, grazing or human interference.
Population
All the individuals of a particular species existing in a particular locality.
Predation
The act of one animal (predator) catching and consuming another (prey).
Primary Production
The process by which green plants capture light energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Gross primary production is the total amount of energy captured. Net primary production is the fraction of gross production that remains after the organism has used energy for its maintenance - this can be used for growth.
Quadrat
A square shaped piece of equipment used to define a given area whilst carrying out a survey e.g. 1 meter quadrat is a wooden or metal or string square 1 meter by 1 meter.
Resources
A commodity that is used by an organism and can therefore be in short supply and the subject of competition. Eg. Food, light, space.
Species
One of the basic units of biological classification in taxonomy. Usually defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. This mostly works but sometimes the definition can be less distinct and similarity of DNA, morphology or ecological niche may be more appropriate. Presence of specific locally adapted traits may further subdivide species into subspecies.
Stomata
Pores on the surface of plant leaves or stems used for gaseous exchange.
Succession
The gradual change and development of an ecosystem over time.
Primary succession starts from a bare uncolonised surface.
Secondary succession on a previously colonised substrate which may still contain plant seeds and organic matter
Sustainable
To keep going continuously e.g. population. Sustainable development – to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.
Taxonomy
The science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a hierarchical structure or classification scheme.
Thermoregulation
Regulating the body temperature (see Ectotherms and Endotherms).
Transect
A line along which you travel whilst collecting data during a survey.
Vertebrate
An animal whose nerve cord is enclosed in a backbone of bony segments called vertebrae i.e. fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Xerophytes
Non-succulent plants with a range of adaptations making them drought tolerant.
Linnean System
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Phylogeny
The history of organismal lineages as they change through time - Tree of Life
Biodiversity hotspot
1) at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics
2) 30% or less of its original natural vegetation
Gleys
Mineral soils - frequent or constant waterlogging
Podzols
Heavy rainfall results in material being washed out and redeposited at greater depth
Peat
Pure organic soils where organic matter has accumulated because of waterlogging
Brown Earths
Free draining soils with distinct mineral/organic and mineral layers are called
Osmolarity
the concentration of a solution expressed as the total number of solute particles per litre
Homeostasis
Maintenance of a relatively constant internal environment in a variable external environment
Dicotyledons
The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants or angiosperms were formerly divided.
The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group, namely that the seed has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons.
Edaphic
Produced by, or influenced by the soil.
Epiphytes
Organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it.
Lianas
Climbing vine found throughout tropical rainforests. They begin life on the forest floor but depend on trees for support as they climb upwards towards the sunlight they need for survival.
Heterogeneous
Diverse in character or content.
Symbiotic mutualism
Occurs when organisms live together in close physical association
Obligate mutualism
Involves permanent pairings in which one or both partners cannot lead an independent life
Conspecific
Belonging to the same species.
Heterogeneity
The quality or state of being diverse in character or content.
