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Chapter 18.19,20
Term | Definition |
---|---|
interdependence | how organisms interact with other organisms in their surroundings |
biosphere | the Earth and all the life that includes it |
biotic factors | factors that classify organisms as living |
abiotic factors | factors that classify organisms as non living |
tolerance curve | a graph that measures the performance of temperature, and environmental variables |
acclimation | organisms raising their tolerance to abiotic factors |
dormancy | a longer term strategy of animals entering a state of reduced activity |
chemosynthesis | use energy stored in inorganic molecules to create carbohydrates |
gross primary productivity | the rate in which producers in an ecosystem capture the energy from sunlight by producing organic compounds |
biomass | the organic material that has been produced in an ecosystem |
net primary productivity | the rate at which biomass accumulates |
detrivores | consumers that feed on garbage/waste in the ecosystem |
trophic level | determines the organism's position in the sequence of energy transfers |
transpiration | the process of water leaving from plants in ecosystems |
nitrogen fixation | the process of converting N2 gas to nitrate |
nitrogen-fixing bacteria | the process of transforming nitrogen gas into a usable form |
ammonification | when soil becomes ammonium |
dentrification | how nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere |
dispersion | spatial distribution of individuals |
age structure | the distribution of age between people of different ages |
survivorship curve | the probability that members of a population will survive to a certain age |
logistical model | population growth that also accounts for certain factors |
density independent factors | natural disasters |
density dependent factors | shortages of resources |
demographic transition | how population changes happen model |
interspecific competition | the type of interaction in which two or more organisms use the same limited resources |
species richness | the number of species in a community |
species eveness | the relative abundance of each species |
species area effect | the theory that smaller places contain more of the species than larger |
ecological succesion | the gradual growth of a community of a species |
primary succesion | the development of life in a community that has not supported life before |
secondary succesion | the replacement of a species after a disaster |
pioneer species | the organisms that predominant early in succession |
climax community | the description of succession that a community proceeds through a predictable series of stages until it reaches a stable point |