Unit 1 Review Flashcards
community ecology
the study of interactions among species
symbiosis
two species living in close and long-term association with one another in an ecosystem
biosphere
the region of our planet where life resides
competition
the struggle of individuals, either within or between species, to obtain a shared limiting resource
competitive exclusion principle
the principle stating that two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist
predation
an interaction in which one animal typically kills and consumes another animal
parasitoid
a specialized type of predator that lays eggs inside other organisms, referred to as its host
parasitism
an interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism, referred to as its host
pathogen
a parasite that causes disease in its host
herbivory
an interaction in which an animal consumes plants or algae
mutualism
an interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species
photosynthesis
the process by which plants and algae use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxgen
commensalism
an interaction between two species in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped
native species
a species that lives in its historical range, typically where it has lived for thousands or millions of years
exotic species
a species living outside its historical range. Also known as alien species
invasive species
a species that spreads rapidly across large areas and causes harm
climate
the average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time
weather
the short-term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area, which include temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed
consumer (heterotroph)
an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must therefore obtain its energy by consuming other organisms
herbivore (primary consumer)
a consumer that eats producers
carnivore
a consumer that eats other consumers
secondary consumer
a carnivore that eats primary consumers
tertiary consumer
a carnivore that eats secondary consumers
trophic levels
the successive levels of organisms consuming one another
food chain
the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers
scavenger
an organism that consumes dead animals
detritivore
an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles
decomposers
fungi and bacteria that complete the breakdown process by converting organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem
ecological efficiency
the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another
the 10% rule
of the total biomass available at a given trophic level, only about 10% can be converted into energy at the next higher trophic level
trophic pyramid
a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels
food web
a model of how energy and matter move through two or more interconnected food chains
biome
the plants and animals that are found in a particular region of the world
terrestrial biome
a geographic region of land categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms
aquatic biome
an aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow
habitat
an area where a particular species lives in nature
permafrost
an impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil
climate diagram
diagrams that display monthly temperatures and precipitation values, which help determine the plants and animals that can live in the biome
freshwater biomes
categorized by streams and rivers, lakes and ponds, or freshwater wetlands
littoral zone
the shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds near the shore where most algae and emergent plants such as cattails grow
limnetic zone
A zone of open water in lakes and ponds as deep as the sunlight can penetrate
phytoplankton
floating algae
profundal zone
a region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes
benthic zone
the muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean beneath the limnetic and profundal zones
oliogotrophic
describes a lake with a low level of phytoplankton due to low amounts of nutrients in the water
mesotrophic
describes a lake with a moderate level of fertility
eutrophic
describes a lake with a high level of fertility
freshwater wetland
an aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation
estuary
an area along the coast where the freshwater of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean
salt marsh
found along the coast in temperature climates, a marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation
mangrove swamp
a swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water
intertidal zone
the narrow band of coastline that exists between the levels and high tide and low tide
coral reef
represents Earth’s most diverse marine biome, and are found in warm, shallow water beyond the shoreline in tropical regions
coral bleaching
a phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white
open ocean
deep-ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom
photic zone
the upper layer of ocean water in the ocean the receives enough sunlight for photosnthesis
aphotic zone
the deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis
chemosynthesis
a process used by some bacteria to generate energy with methane and hydrogen sulfide
biogeochemical cycle
the movements of matter within and between ecosystems involving cycles of biological, geological, and chemical processes
reservoirs
the components of the biogeochemical cycle that contain matter, including air, water, and organisms
carbon cycle
the movement of carbon around the biosphere among reservoirs and sinks
aerobic respiration
the process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water
steady state
when a system’s inputs equals its outputs, so that the system is not changing over time
greenhouse gasses
gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat near the surface
global warming
the increase in global temperature due to humans producing more greenhouse gases
limiting nutrient
a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients
nitrogen cycle
the movement of nitrogen around the biosphere among reservoir sources and sinks
nitrogen fixation
the process that convert nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into forms of nitrogen that plants and algae can use
nitrification
the conversion of ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate
assimilation
a process by which plants and algae incorporate nitrogen into their tissues
mineralization/ammonification
the process by which fungal bacteria decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds such as inorganic ammonium
dentrification
the conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and eventually nitrogen gas which is emitted into the atmosphere
anaerobic
an environment that lacks oxygen
aerobic
an environment with abundant oxygen
leaching
a process in which dissolved molecules and transported through the soil via groundwater
phosphorus cycle
the movement of phosphorus around the biosphere among reservoir sources and isnks
algal bloom
a rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway
hypoxic
low in oxygen
dead zone
when oxygen concentrations become so low that it kills fish and other aquatic animals
hydrologic cycle
the movement of water around the biosphere among reservoir sources and sinks
transpiration
the release of water from leave into the atmosphere during photosynthesis
evapotranspiration
the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration
runoff
the water that moves across the land surface into streams and rivers
producers (autotrophs)
plants, algae, and some bacteria that use the Sun’s energy to produce usable forms of energy, such as sugars
cellular respiration
the process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds
anaerobic respiration
the process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen
primary productivity
the rate of converting solar energy into organic compounds over a period of time
gross primary productivity (GPP)
the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
net primary productivity (NPP)
the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers’ respire
biomass
the total mass of all living matter in a specific area
standing crop
the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time
