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EcologyStudyTerms
Dr. Roosenburg 1710
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Homeostasis | Maintaining a fairly constant state through regulation of the internal environment |
| Adjustment | An immediate behavioral or physiological change compensating for changing external conditions |
| Acclimation | The gradual change of an individual’s physiological processes compensating for changing external conditions |
| Adaptation | Changes from one generation to the next in response to environmental change |
| Endotherm | An organism which produces its own heat internally |
| Ectotherm | An organism whose body temperature is the same as the environment |
| Microclimate | Variation in temperature in regions very close together due to differences in environment |
| Heat exchange | Whether an organism gains or loses heat is determined by how it does this with the surrounding environment |
| Conduction | The transfer of heat between two objects that are touching |
| Convection | The transfer of heat between an object and a fluid |
| Evaporation | The loss of heat by boiling a liquid |
| Isotonic | Of the same osmotic concentration |
| Hypertonic | Of a higher relative concentration |
| Hypotonic | Of a lower relative concentration |
| Osmoconformer | An organism whose osmolarity is the same as its environment |
| Osmoregulator | An organism whose osmolarity is constant and internally regulated |
| Thermal neutral zone | The temperature where an endotherm has the lowest metabolic rate |
| Preferred temperature | The temperature at which an ectotherm prefers to keep its body |
| Stenohaline | An organism which tolerates only a narrow range of salinity |
| Euryhaline | An organism which tolerates a wide range of salinity |
| Benthic | The _____ zone refers to the bottom of the ocean |
| Photic | The ______ zone refers to the part of the ocean where light penetrates. |
| Neritic | The ____ zone refers to the ocean which is constantly submerged but over the continental shelf. |
| Thermocline | The change in temperature varying with depth in water. |
| Upwelling | This oceanic phenomenon brings nutrients up from the bottom. |
| Neap | This is the word used for the lowest tide |
| Intertidal | The ______ zone is sometimes underwater and sometimes above water. |
| Salt wedge | The variation of salinity within an estuary. |
| Estuary | A location where fresh water meets salt water. |
| Fen | A freshwater wetland fed by alkaline groundwater. |
| Turnover | Seasonal ______ occurs as temperatures change, moving water in shallow, temperate lakes. |
| Lotic | This refers to any type of moving water such as a stream or river |
| Lentic | This refers to nonmoving water such as lakes and ponds |
| Marsh | This type of wetland is permanently inundated and lacks trees. |
| Bog | This type of wetland is acidic and has carnivorous plants. |
| Swamp | This type of wetland is temporarily inundated and has trees. |
| Coral reef | This type of aquatic biome is found in shallow waters near the equator |
| Kelp forest | This type of aquatic biome is found in shallow waters further from the equator |
| Spring | This is the word for the highest tide. |
| Abiotic environment | the physical, non-living components of the environment |
| Biotic environment | the biological, living components of the environment |
| Organismal ecology | the study of an organism’s behavior and physiology |
| Population ecology | the study of a population’s size, composition and growth |
| Community ecology | the study of how different species interact |
| Ecosystem ecology | the study of both abiotic and biotic factors in the environment |
| Conservation biology | using ecology to restore and preserve populations, communities and ecosystems |
| Naturalist | a scientist who uses observation to describe nature |
| Experimentalist | a scientist who uses the hypothetico-deductive process to understand nature |
| Mathematical modeler | a scientist who uses mathematics and computer simulations to predict the outcome of natural processes. |
| Coriolis effect | the movement of fluid (such as water or wind) caused by the rotation of the Earth |
| Maritime climate | a milder climate caused by the influence of the ocean |
| Continental climate | an inland climate not affected by the ocean |
| Rain shadow | a region receiving less rain due to mountains preventing moisture from reaching it. |
| Chaparral | a temperate biome with a year-round growing season, a cool moist season, and grass and shrubs. |
| Growing season | those months of the year in which the temperature is never below freezing. |
| Tropical rain forest | a biome with a year-round growing season, constant temperatures, and extreme amounts of rain |
| Tropical dry forest | a biome with a year-round growing season, constant temperatures, and both wet and dry seasons. |
| Desert | a biome with a distinct seasons which receives very little precipitation |
| Temperate grassland | a biome which is below freezing for parts of the year, receives a moderate amount of rain and is mostly grass. |
| Temperate forest | a biome which is below freezing for parts of the year, receives a moderate amount of rain and is mostly trees. |
| Boreal forest | a biome which has a short growing season, very cold winters, moderate precipitation and is mostly trees. |
| Tundra | a biome with a short growing season, very cold winters, very low precipitation and permafrost. |
| Innate behavior | a stereotyped behavior which is not learned and appears fully formed in an individual |
| Learned behavior | a behavior which must be gained by observation and practice |
| Fixed Action Pattern | an innate behavior which is highly stereotyped and not easily changed |
| Releaser | a stimulus that triggers a fixed action pattern behavior |
| Code-breaking | when one organism takes advantage of another organism’s innate behaviors |
| Conditioning | creating a learned behavior by reinforcing one stimulus with another. |
| Optimal Foraging Theory | animals will behave and eat in ways to maximize their energy intake |
| Risk-averse foraging | animals will experience tradeoffs between maximizing energy intake and staying safe |
| Cooperation | sharing territory and resources to gain a benefit |
| Circadian rhythm | a daily pattern of behavior |
| Nocturnal | active during the night |
| Diurnal | active during the day |
| Crepuscular | active during dawn and dusk |
| Homing | the ability to return to a specific location |
| Taxis | orienting the body toward or away from a stimulus |
| Orientation | organizing behavior according to spatial cues |
| Migration | the seasonal movement of animals from one area to another |
| Piloting | learning the route using landmarks |
| Compass orientation | using a compass heading and distance to navigate |
| True navigation | determining present location and destination in order to find a route |
| Pheromones | chemical signals used to communicate |
| Altruistic behavior | behavior which costs the actor and benefits the recipient |
| Selfish behavior | behavior which benefits the actor and costs the recipient |
| Spiteful behavior | behavior which costs both the actor and the recipient |
| Cooperative behavior | behavior which benefits both the actor and the recipient |
| Reciprocal altruism | This behavior is cooperative because benefits of altruistic behavior are delayed |
| Hamilton’s rule | related individuals share genes, and can increase their fitness by increasing the survival of close relatives |
| Density | the number of individuals per unit of area |
| Dispersion | the pattern of spacing among individuals within a population |
| Survivorship | the probability of surviving to a specific age |
| Fecundity | the average number of offspring that a female will produce |
| Generation time | the time between birth and the first reproduction of an individual. |
| Semelparity | reproducing only once in its lifetime |
| Iteroparity | reproducing multiple times in its lifetime |
| Logistic growth | this growth equation includes limited resources and competition. |
| Exponential growth | this population growth equation represents unbounded growth |
| Carrying capacity | the maximum number of individuals of that species that the environment can support. |
| Demographics | characteristics describing the age distribution and reproduction of a population. |
| Geographic range | the area in which a species can be found |
| Biotic potential | the maximum possible rate at which a population can grow. |
| Immigration | the arrival of individuals into a population from a different population |
| Emigration | individuals leaving one population to go to another. |
| Per capita birth rate/death rate | the number of births/deaths per year per individual in the population. |
| Zero population growth | this occurs when the birth rate equals the death rate. |
| Environmental resistance | this occurs when resources limit growth rates and bring population growth to a steady state. |
| Intraspecific competition | competition within a species which decreases birth rates |
| Linear tradeoff | this states that a small population can grow quickly, but a large population must grow slowly. |
| Allee effect | a minimum number of individuals is required to maintain the population |
| Life table | a table summarizing age-specific survivorship and fecundity |
| Cross-sectional study | a study comparing different age cohorts |
| Vertical population study | a study following one cohort throughout its lifetime as it ages |
| Population size | the total number of individuals in a population |
| Type I survivorship | high survivorship early in life followed by a decline starting in mid-life |
| Type II survivorship | uniform probability of survivorship throughout life |
| Type III survivorship | low survivorship in early life followed by increased survivorship in later life |
| Symbiosis | any interaction which benefits one species without harming another. |
| Mutualism | an interspecies interaction which benefits both species. |
| Commensalism | an interspecies interaction which benefits one species without impacting the other |
| Amensalism | an interspecies interaction which harms one species without impacting the other |
| Competition | an interspecies interaction which harms both species |
| Interference competition | the interaction in which two species physically compete for a resource |
| Exploitation competition | the interaction in which two species use the same resource, but never physically interact. |
| Competitive Exclusion Principle | this principle states that two species existing in the same environment and using the same resource cannot coexist |
| Fundamental niche | set of resources a population is theoretically capable of using |
| Realized niche | the actual resources used by a population |
| Resource partitioning | when two competing species occupy different niches, either due to differing morphology or differing realized niches. |
| Competitive release | when one species is removed, its competitor can occupy its fundamental niche |
| Character displacement | the divergence in morphology between 2 species in areas of sympatric relative to areas of allopatry as a result of competition |
| True predation | predator kills prey and eats it |
| Herbivory | grazing by animals on plants |
| Parasitism | parasite lives on or in the host, but rarely kills the host |
| Parasitoids | insects that lay their eggs in a host and the larvae feed on and kill the host |
Created by:
sw326108
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