Unit 10: Ecology Flashcards
Abiotic
non-living, physical components of the environment
Age - sex structure
A graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population
Ammonification
Converts organic nitrogen into in organic ammonia.
Aquifer
an underground layer of rock, sand, or gravel that contains water.
Autotroph
organism that can create its own food from simple molecules
Biodiversity
the variety of species that exist in an environment
Biogeochemical cycle
pathway by which a chemical substance moves through biotic and abiotic compartments of Earth
Biomass
the mass of dried living matter in a given area or volume of habitat
Biome
a major ecological community such as grassland, tropical rain forest, or desert
Biosphere
the part of the earth in which living organisms are known to exist
Biotic
living, physical components of the environment
Boreal forest
forests growing in high-latitude environments where freezing temperatures occur for 6 to 8 months and in which trees can reach a minimum height of 5m and a canopy cover of 10%
Camouflage
A type of adaptation that allows some animals to blend into their surroundings] when needed.
Carbon cycle
a natural cycle in which carbon compounds, mainly carbon dioxide, are in corporated into living tissue through photosynthesis and returned to the atmosphere by respiration, decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels
Carnivore
an animal that eats only other animals
Carrying capacity
indicates the greatest number of any species that can in definitely exist within a specific habitat with out threatening the existence of other species also living in the habitat
Chaparral
vegetation composed of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs, bushes, and small trees
Chemoautotroph
an organism in which derives energy from the oxidation of in organic compounds.
Climate
the current or past long-term weather conditions characteristic of a region or the entire Earth
Climax community
An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment
Commensalism
a relation ship between two species of a plant, animal, or fungus in which one lives with, on, or in the other with out damage to either
Community
a group of different populations that live together and interact in an environment
Competitive exclusion principle
a principle that explains that two different species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place for very long
Condensation
the process by which a gas changes into a liquid
Consumer
an organism that eats other living things to get energy; an organism that does not produce its own food (related word: consume)
Decomposer
organisms which carry out the process of decomposition by breaking down dead or decaying organisms
Denitrification
The loss or removal of nitrogen or nitrogen compounds
Density dependent factor
Any factor limiting the size of a population whose effect is dependent on the number of individuals in the population
Desert
an area that gets little precipitation and has very little vegetation
Detritivore
An animal which feeds on dead organic material, especially plant detritus
Detritus
Typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organism’s, and fecal material
Dispersal
The action or process of distributing things or people over a wide area
Dormancy
A period in an organism’s life cycle when growth development and physical activity are temporarily stopped.
Ecological pyramid
A graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio-productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.
Ecological succession
The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time
Ecology
environment upon which an organism lives
Ecosystem
all the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with each other
Ecosystem diversity
deals with the variations in ecosystems within a geographical location and its overall impact on human existence and the environment
Emigration
pertains to the leaving of a place of residence or habitat with the intent of living in another place.
Evaporation
the process in which matter changes from a liquid to a gas
Exchange pool
a type of reservoir used in the Biogeochemical cycle to hold chemicals for short periods of time rather than long.
Exponential growth
a period of growth when the growth rate becomes more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size
Extinction
the permanent loss of a population or species
Filed studies
the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting
Food chain
a model that shows one set of feeding relation ships among living things
Good web
a model that shows many different feeding relation ships among living things in each area
Genetic diversity
the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species
Ground water
water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock
Habitat
the location in which an organism lives
Herbivore
a animal that only eats plants.
Host
organism that is parasitized or subject to attack by one or more parasites
Immigration
the process of individuals moving into a range from elsewhere
Interspecific competition
a form of competition between different species of the same
ecolonical area
Intraspecific competiton
a form of competition when members of the same species compete for limited resources, this can lead to a reduction in fitness for both individuals
Keystone species
with in the ecological community, this species has a critical role in maintaining the structure of the community
Laboratory studies
research done in a laboratory
Latitude
angular distance north and south of the equator
Limiting factors
a variable of a system that, if subject to a small change, causes a noticeable change in an output or other measure of a type of system
Logistic growth
occurs when the growth rate decreases as the population reaches carrying capacity
Migration
the movement of a group of organisms from one place to another, usually due to a change in seasons
Mutualism
a relationship between two species of a plant, animal, or fungus in which one lives off the other and both organisms’ benefit
Niche
the unique physical environment occupied, and functions performed by, a species
Nitrification
aerobic process performed by small groups of autotrophic bacteria and archaea; the biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrite followed by the oxidation of the nitrite to nitrate
Nitrogen cycle
a process in which nitrogen in the atmosphere enters the soil and becomes part of living organisms then eventually returns to the atmosphere
Nitrogen fixation
The chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds, especially by certain microorganisms as part of the nitrogen cycle
Omnivore
an animal that eats food of both plant and animal origin.
Parasite
an organism that lives in or on an other organism (the host) and obtains nourishment from the host but provides nothing back to that host
Parasitism
a certain type of non-mutual relationship found between two different species in which one organism known as the parasite benefits at the expense of the other organism
Photoautotroph
organisms that can make their own energy using light and carbon dioxide via the process of photosynthesis
Pioneer species
species which colonize and inhabit land which has not yet been settled; typically leads to ecological succession
Population pyramid
a graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population, which forms the shape of a pyramid when the population is growing
Precipitation
water that is released from clouds in the sky, includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain
Predation
a certain type of relation ship primarily found between two animal species in which one hunts, kills, and feeds off the other
Primary consumer
organisms that consume producers for energy and nutrients
Primary succession
one type of biological and ecological succession that involves the growth of plant life in a newly developed area defined by rock or other minerals and either no or very little soil
Producer
an organism that makes its own food; an organism that does not consume other plants or animals
Reservoir
the location of a source or stock of a material or resource
Runoff
the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.
Saprotroph
an organism that feeds on or derives nourishment from decaying organic matter
Secondary consumer
an animal which feeds on primary consumers in the food chain
Secondary succession
one type of biological and ecological succession that involves the growth of plant life in an area that previously saw growth, but was destroyed for any reason
Sedimentation
any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water or other liquid
Sublimation
matter phase change from solid directly to gas
Symbiosis
relationship between two species that interact in ways that influence each other’s evolution
Temperature deciduous forest
an ecological community that is defined bifive different zones, four distinct seasons, and a mixed climate with mixed precipitation
Temperate grassland
characterized as having grasses as the dominant vegetation
Terrestrial biome
an area of land with a similar climate that includes similar communities of plants and animals
Tertiary consumer
a third-level consumer that feeds only on secondary consumers
Transpiration
the loss of water vapor by plants
Tropic level
the position an organism occupies at each level of the food chain
Tropical grassland
composed of a mixture of trees and grasses, the proportion of trees to grass varying directly with the rainfall
Tropical rainforest
rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season
Tundra
extremely cold climate located near the North and South Poles and on the tops of mountains, receives very little precipitation and has no trees
Water cycle
the continual movement of water between the land, ocean, and the air throt predictable physical processes
Weather cycle
the properties of the atmosphere at a given time and location, including temperature air movement and precipitation
