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apes chps. 8-9
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| aquatic life zones | the aquatic equivalents of biomes; types of organisms are determined by the water's salinity |
| saltwater/marine aquatic life zones | one of two major types of aquatic life zones; ex. estuaries, coastlines, coral reefs, coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, the ocean above the continental shelf, deep ocean |
| freshwater aquatic life zones | one of two major types of aquatic life zones; ex. lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, inland wetlands |
| plankton | free-floating and weakly swimming; three categories: phytoplankton, nanoplankton, and zooplankton |
| nekton | strongly swimming, ex. fish, turtles, whales |
| benthos | bottom-dwelling, ex. barnacles and oysters |
| euphotic zone | the upper layer where photosynthesis is confined |
| how much of the earth's surface do oceans cover? | 71% |
| coastal zone | the warm, nutrient-rich, shallow water that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the gently sloping, shallow edge of the continental shelf (the submerged part of the continents) |
| estuary | a partially enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with fresh water and nutrients from rivers, streams, and runoff from land; it is an ecotone |
| coastal wetlands | areas of coastal land that are covered all or part of the year with salt water |
| mangrove swamps | located among warm tropical coasts where there is too much silt for coral reefs to grow; dominated by salt tolerant trees or shrubs known as mangroves |
| intertidal zone | the area of shoreline between low and high tides |
| barrier islands | long, thin, low offshore islands of sediment that generally run parallel to the shore |
| what are coral reefs? | form in clear, warm coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics; among the most biologically diverse life zones; ecologically complex |
| currently, how much of the world's population live along coasts or within 160 km of a coast? | two-thirds |
| how much of the world's beaches are eroding? | about 70% |
| open sea | sharp increase in water depth; divided into three vertical zones: euphotic, bathyal, and abyssal |
| freshwater life zones | occur where water with a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1% by volume accumulates on or flows through the surfaces of terrestrial biomes |
| lakes | large natural bodies of standing fresh water, formed when precipitation, runoff, or groundwater seepage fills depressions in the earth's surface |
| oligotrophic lake | a newly formed lake generally has a small supply of plant nutrients and is called this, meaning poorly nourished |
| eutrophic lake | a lake with a large or excessive supply of nutrients )mostly nitrates and phosphates) needed by producers, meaning well-nourished |
| mesotrophic lake | many lakes fall between the two extremes of nutrient enrichment and are called this |
| surface water | precipitation that doesn't sink into the ground or evaporate |
| runoff | surface water becomes this when it flows into streams and eventually to the ocean |
| watershed/drainage basin | this entire land area, which delivers water, sediment, and dissolved substances via small streams to a larger stream or river and ultimately to the sea |
| river system | because of different environmental conditions in each zone, this is actually a series of different ecosystems |
| inland wetland | lands covered with fresh water all or part of the time (excluding lakes, reservoirs, and streams) and located away from coastal areas |
| human impact | many are drained, dredged, filled in, or covered over |
| what are the similar environmental factors that limit aquatic life? | temperature, access to sunlight for photosynthesis, dissolved oxygen for respiration, and availability of nutrients for plant growth |
| conditions | the many physical or chemical attributes of the environment that, though not being consumed, influence biological processes and population growth |
| resources | substances that can be consumed by an organism and, as a result, become unavailable to other organisms |
| fundamental niche | the full potential range of conditions and resources a species could theoretically use if there were no direct competition from other species |
| realized niche | a species' occupation of only part of its fundamental niche in a particular ecosystem |
| generalist species | have broad niches: can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions |
| specialist species | have narrow niches: may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one or a few types of food |
| native species | species that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem |
| nonnative/exotic/alien species | other species that migrate into an ecosystem or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans |
| indicator species | species that serve as early warnings that a community or an ecosystem is being damaged |
| keystone species | species whose roles in an ecosystem are much more important than their abundance or biomass (controversial) |
| interspecific competition | competition between species which occurs when two or more species compete for food, space, or any other limited resource |
| predation | members of one species (the predator) feed directly on all or part of a living organism of another species (the prey) |
| symbiosis | a long-lasting relationship in which species live together in an intimate association; three types |
| parasitism | occurs when one species (the parasite) feeds on part of another organism (the host) by living on or in the host for a significant portion of the host's life, the host is harmed and the parasite benefits |
| mutualism | two species involved in a symbiotic relationship interact in ways that benefit both |
| commensalism | a symbiotic interaction that benefits one species but neither harms nor helps the other species much, if at all |
| interference competition | one species may limit another's access to some resource, regardless of its abundance |
| exploitation competition | competing species have roughly equal access to a specific resource but differ in how fast or efficiently they exploit it |
| competitive exclusion principle | "one-niche, one-species, one-place"; shows that two species that require the same resource cannot coexist indefinitely in an ecosystem in which there is not enough of that resource to meet the needs of both species |
| resource partitioning | the dividing up of scare resources so that species with similar requirements use them at different times, in different ways, or in different places |
| character displacement | on an evolutionary time scale, closely related and anatomically similar competing species may also partition resources and lessen competition through this |
| predator-prey relationship | together, the two kinds of organisms, predator and prey, are said to have this relationship |
| parasitism three main points | parasite is usually smaller than its host, remains closely associated with, draws nourishment from, may gradually weaken its host over time, and rarely kills its host |
| ecosystem structure | physical appearance, niche structure, species diversity or richness, species abundance |
| ecological succession | the gradual and fairly predictable change in species composition of a given area |
| primary succession | involves the gradual establishment of biotic communities in an area that has not been occupied by life before |
| secondary succession | the more common type of succession, involves the reestablishment of a biotic community in an area where a biotic community was previously present |
| pioneer species | soil formation begins when hardy pioneer species attach themselves to inhospitable patches of bare rock ex. lichens and mosses |
| early successional plant species | grow close to the ground, can establish large populations quickly under harsh conditions, and have short lives |
| midsuccessional plant species | less hardy, herbs, grasses, and low shrubs, need deep, fertile, moist soil |
| late successional plant species | mostly trees, can tolerate shade |
| disturbance | a discrete event in time that disrupts an ecosystem or community |
| inertia/persistence | the ability of a living system to resist being disturbed or altered |
| constancy | the ability of a living system such as a population to maintain a certain size or keep its numbers within the limits imposed by available resources |
| resilience | the ability of a living system to bounce back after an external disturbance that is not too drastic |
| species equilibrium model/theory of island biogeography | according to this model, the number of species found on an island is determined by a balance between two factors: the immigration rate of species to the island from other inhabited areas and the extinction rate of species established on the island |
Created by:
escholer
Popular Ecology sets