Introduction to ecology Flashcards
What is ecology?
The study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and their interactions with their environment
What is the biosphere?
A closed system with the global sum of all ecosystems
What are biomes?
Distinct plant and animal communities
What are ecosystems?
Complexes including plants, animals and micro organism communities
What are the 4 categories of ecosystem services?
Provisioning, supporting, cultural and regulating
What are habitats?
The environments of plants, animals or other organisms.
What are microhabitats?
The smallest part of the environment supporting flora and fauna, e.g. bark
What is a community?
An assemblage of populations of different species
What is a population?
The summation of all organisms within a species.
What are niches?
The unique specific way of life that each species has
What are the 4 aquatic zones?
Littoral zone
Limnetic zone
Euphotic zone
Benthic zone
What is the littoral zone?
The area of water by a bank or beach
What is the limnetic zone?
The surface of the water
What is the euphotic zone?
The upper 200m of the ocean
What is the benthic zone?
The lowest level of a body of water
