Midterm 1 Flashcards
biome
Biomes are regions of the world with similar climate (weather, temperature) animals and plants. There are terrestrial biomes (land) and aquatic biomes, both freshwater and marine.
bioregion
A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem.
dead zone
a place or period in which nothing happens or in which no life exists.
disturbance
In biology, a disturbance is a temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem. Disturbances often act quickly and with great effect, to alter the physical structure or arrangement of biotic and abiotic elements.
ecocentric
a point of view that recognizes the ecosphere, rather than the biosphere, as central in importance, and attempts to redress the imbalance created by anthropocentrism.
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
ecotone
a region of transition between two biological communities.
endemic species
plants and animals that exist only in one geographic region
evolution
the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
genome
all genetic information in an organism
habitat fragmentation
the process by which habitat loss results in the division of large, continuous habitats into smaller, more isolated remnants.
holocene
The Holocene is the geological epoch that began after the Pleistocene
indicator species
An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition.
keystone species
a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.
landscape resilience
In ecology, resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a perturbation or disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly.
metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
mutualism
the doctrine that mutual dependence is necessary to social well-being.
BIOLOGY
symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved.
myth
a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
natural selection
the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.
pathetic fallacy
the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature
selective pressure
Selective pressure is any phenomena which alters the behavior and fitness of living organisms within a given environment. It is the driving force of evolution and natural selection, and it can be divided into two types of pressure: biotic or abiotic.
Species
The species is the fundamental category of taxonomic classification
succession
Ecological succession, the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time.
symbiosis
is a close and often long-term interaction between two different biological species.
symbol
a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
trophic cascade
Trophic cascades occur when predators in a food web suppress the abundance or alter the behavior of their prey, thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation
watershed
an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
