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biology ch. 18 terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecology | the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment |
| interdependence | the dependence of every organism on its connections with other living thing and nonliving parts o its environment |
| ecological model | a model that represents or describes the relationships between the components of an ecological system |
| biosphere | the part of Earth where life exists; includes all of the living organisms on Earth |
| ecosystem | a community of organisms and their abiotic environment |
| community | a group of various species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other |
| population | a group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific geographical area and interbreed |
| habitat | the place where an organism usually lives |
| biotic factor | an environmental factor that is associated with or results from the activities of living organisms |
| abiotic factor | an environmental factor that is not associated with the activities of living organisms |
| tolerance curve | a graph of performance versus values of an environment variable |
| acclimation | an organism's change in response to a change in the organism's environment |
| conformer | an organism whose physiological reactions follow environmental changes |
| regulator | organisms that use energy to control some of their internal conditions |
| dormancy | a state in which seeds, spores, bulbs, and other reproductive organs stop growth and development and reduce their metabolism, especially respiration |
| migration | in general, any movement of individuals or populations from one location to another; specifically, a periodic group movement that is characteristic of a given population or species |
| niche | the unique position occupied by a species, both in terms of its physical use of its habitat and its function within an ecological community |
| generalist | a species that has a broad niche such that the species can tolerate a wide range of conditions and can use a variety of resources |
| specialist | an individual or a species that is adapted to a particular environmental factor or ecological niche and that can tolerate only a narrow range of conditions |
| producer | an organism that can make organic molecules from inorganic molecules; a photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotroph that serves as the basic food source in an ecosystem |
| chemosynthesis | the production of carbohydrates through the use of energy from inorganic molecules instead of light |
| gross primary productivity | the rate at which organic matter is assimilated by plants and other producers during a period of time over a certain area |
| biomass | plant material, manure, or any other organic matter that is used as an energy source |
| net primary productivity | the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem |
| consumer | an organism that eats other organisms or organic matter instead of producing its own nutrients or obtaining nutrients from inorganic sources |
| herbivore | an organism that eats only plants |
| carnivore | an organism that eats animals |
| omnivore | an organism that eats both plants and animals |
| detritivore | a consumer that feeds on dead plants and animals |
| decomposer | an organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms; examples include bacteria and fungi |
| trophic level | one of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid; examples include producers and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers |
| food chain | the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms |
| food web | a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem |
| biogeochemical cycle | the circulation of substances through living organisms from or to the environment |
| groundwater | the water that is beneath the Earth's surface |
| water cycle | the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans |
| transpiration | the process by which plants release water vapor into the air through stomata; also the release of water vapor into the air by other organisms |
| carbon cycle | the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back |
| nitrogen cycle | the process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, plants, and animals in an ecosystem |
| nitrogen fixation | the process by which gaseous nitrogen is converted into ammonia, a compound that organisms can use to make amino acids and other nitrogen-containing organic molecules |
| nitrogen-fixing bacteria | bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia |
| ammonification | the formation of ammonia compounds in the soil by the action of bacteria on decaying matter |
| nitrification | the process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil |
| denitrification | the liberation of nitrogen from nitrogen-containing compounds by bacteria in the soil |
| phosphorus cycle | the cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment |
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eifertmaddy15
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