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Ecology Vocabulary
Biology Review
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| microorganism | an organism that is too small to be seen with the naked eye |
| decomposition | the process of breaking down a substance into its smaller components of organic matter; decay |
| nitrogen fixation | bacterial action that results in the combination of atmospheric nitrogen with other elements; making nitrogen available for use by plants |
| health | an organism’s state of being free from disease or ailment |
| fermentation | a metabolic process that converts sugars to acids, gasses, and/or alcohol to produce ATP; does not involve an electron transport chain and produces less ATP than respiration |
| extremophile | any organism that lives and thrives in extreme environments |
| yeast | a single-celled fungus; some species are beneficial, and others are parasitic |
| primary succession | the development of an ecological community in a previously uninhabited location |
| secondary succession | the development of an ecological community in an area that was once inhabited, but experienced devastation |
| climax community | the dynamically stable ecological community representing the final stage of ecological succession |
| natural disaster | a force of nature that results in catastrophic consequences |
| habitat destruction | the alteration of the area and conditions in which an organism lives so that the organisms can no longer live in them |
| limiting factor | an environmental factor that limits the growth of a population |
| biodiversity | the sum of the different forms of living things in a given area or population |
| pioneer species | the first plant species to grow during primary succession |
| predator | an organism that captures and consumes another organism for nourishment |
| prey | an organism that is captured and consumed by another organism for nourishment |
| parasitism | the symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed |
| parasite | an organism that lives in or on another organism (host) and causes harm to the host |
| host | an organism within or upon which another organism (parasite, commensal, or mutualist) resides |
| niche | the ecological role played by an organism |
| habitat | the area and conditions in which an organism lives |
| interspecific | activity occurring between two or more species |
| intraspecific | activity occurring within a species |
| pollinator | something that carries pollen from the anther to the stigma in flowering plants |
| food chain | a single linear path of energy transfer through the trophic levels of an ecosystem |
| food web | a complex of interconnected food chains showing the trophic interactions in an ecosystem |
| trophic level | an organism’s position on a food chain |
| ecological pyramid | a representation of the organisms in an ecosystem organized into separate trophic levels with producers at the bottom and top predators at the top |
| tundra | a biome characterized by vast, treeless plains and extremely cold temperatures |
| taiga | a biome characterized by its coniferous evergreen forests and cold temperatures |
| desert | a biome characterized by very low annual rates of precipitation and sparse vegetation |
| rainforest | a biome characterized by high biodiversity, humid climate, and high annual precipitation |
| grasslands | a biome characterized by a primary vegetation of grasses, warm-to-hot climates, and moderate rainfall |
| temperate forest | biome characterized by high biodiversity, four distinct seasons, and moderate climate |
| primary consumer | an animal that eats the producers |
| secondary consumer | an animal that eats the primary consumers |
| tertiary consumer | an animal that eats the secondary consumers |
| quatenary consumer | an animal that eats the tertiary consumers |
| nutrient cycle | cycling of organic and inorganic matter through living organisms and the environment |
| ammonification | the process of converting nitrogen into ammonium by bacteria |
| carbon cycle | the continuous movement of carbon among the abiotic environment and living things |
| denitrification | the reduction of oxidized forms of nitrogen (nitrates), ultimately resulting in molecular nitrogen |
| detrivore | an organism that feeds on dead or decaying plant or animal remains |
| legume | a family of plants including beans, alfalfa, and peas, most of which harbor symbiotic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules in their roots |
| lithosphere | the outermost part of the Earth, comprising the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle |
| nitification | the biological transformation of ammonia or ammonium to nitrites and nitrates |
| nitrogen fixation | bacterial action that results in the combination of atmospheric nitrogen with other elements; making nitrogen available for use by plants |
Created by:
Doerre475
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