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Ecology Definitions
Module 3: Ecosystems and Sustainability - Key Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem | all the living organisms and all the non-living components in a specific habitat, and their interactions |
| Habitat | the place where an organism lives |
| Population | all the organisms of one species, who live in the same place at the same time, and can breed together |
| Community | all the populations of different species who live in the same place at the same time, and can interact with each other |
| Producer | an autotrophic organism that converts light energy to chemical energy, which is then supplied to consumers |
| Consumer | a living organism that feeds on another living organism |
| Decomposer | an organism that feeds on dead organic matter |
| Trophic Level | the level at which an organism feeds in a food chain |
| Niche | the role that a species plays in an ecosystem |
| Productivity | a measure of the rate at which energy passes through each trophic level in a food chain |
| Primary Productivity | the rate of production of new biomass by producers; the total energy fixed by photosynthesis and used to synthesise organic molecules |
| Net Primary Productivity | gross primary productivity minus the energy lost; the total amount of energy available to primary consumers |
| Succession | a directional change in a community of organisms over time |
| Sere | an intermediate stage found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing towards its climax community |
| Conservation | the maintenance of biodiversity, including diversity between species, genetic diversity within species, and maintenance of a variety of habitats and ecosystems; but the area can still be sustainably exploited |
| Preservation | protection of species by leaving their habitat completely untouched |
| Carrying Capacity | the maximum population size that can be maintained over a period of time in a particular habitat |
| Biotic Factors | factors resulting from the living organisms in an ecosystem: food supply, predation and disease |
| Abiotic Factors | factors resulting from the non-living components of an ecosystem: pH, temperature and soil type |
| Gross Primary Productivity | the rate at which plants convert light energy into chemical energy |
| Nitrification | the oxidation of ammonium ions to nitrite ions or nitrate ions by chemoautotrophic bacteria |
| Denitrification | the conversion of nitrate ions back to nitrogen gas |
| Nitrogen Fixation | the conversion of nitrogen gas to organic nitrogen in the soil (e.g. ammonium ions) |
| Limiting Factor | a factor that, when in short supply, limits the rate of a reaction or limits growth |
| Competition | the interaction of organisms when resources are not present in adequate amounts to satisfy the needs of all the organisms who depend on those resources |
| Coppicing | cutting a tree trunk close to the ground to encourage new growth |
| Biodiversity | the variety and variability of life; within species, between species and between ecosystems |
Created by:
GraceAlston
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