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Biology Ch. 4

Ecology

TermDefinition
Ecology The study of the relationship between organisms and their environment.
Environment Anything that affects an organism during their lifetime.
Biotic factors Living things that affect an organism within its environment.
Abiotic factors Non-living things that affect an organism within its environment.
Ecosystem The interaction between organisms and the abiotic factors throughout their environment.
Trophic levels The flow of energy upwards through the food chain.
First trophic level Consists of producers. (i.e. plants)
Second trophic level Consists of herbivores. (e.g. rabbits, deer)
Third trophic level Consists of primary carnivores, or those carnivores which consume herbivores. (e.g. foxes, weasels)
Fourth trophic level Consists of secondary, or top-level carnivores. This group have no true predators. (e.g. bears, wolves)
Fifth trophic level Consists of decomposers, which convert non-living organic matter into simple inorganic molecules. (e.g. worms, insects)
True decomposers Bacteria and fungi are known as this.
Saprophytes Decomposers which generally feed and live off of dead plant material. (e.g. fungi, yeasts)
Scavengers Decomposers which generally feed and live off of dead animal material. (e.g. carrion vultures, coyotes)
Food chain A sequence in which organisms feed upon each other.
90% The energy lost from one trophic level to the next.
Carnivore An organism which only consumes animal material. (e.g. cats, dogs)
Herbivore An organism which only consumes plant material. (e.g. cows, moose)
Food web The interaction and intersection of various food chains.
Omnivore An organism which consumes both plant and animal material. (e.g. humans, squirrels)
Flow of energy A.K.A. the trophic levels, and with each level there is a loss of approximately 90%.
First law of thermodynamics States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another.
Second law of thermodynamics States that when energy is changed from one form to another, some of that energy escapes/is lost to the environment. (i.e. in the form of heat, etc.)
Biome This is a large regional community which is determined by its climate.
Succession The process of changing from one type of vegetative community to another, more complex one until a climax community is reached.
Climax community A stable, long-lasting community which can last for millennia.
Sere A.K.A. a successional stage.
Primary succession This occurs in areas which have never supported a vegetative community before.
Secondary succession This occurs in areas where a vegetative community has been disturbed by natural or man-made phenomena.
Habitat The area within an ecosystem in which an organism lives, or can often be found.
Community A collection of organisms which interact within an ecosystem.
Niche The particular function an organism serves within its ecosystem.
Predation The action of one organism capturing and consuming another.
Predator An organism which catches and eats another organism.
Prey An organism which is caught and eaten by another organism.
Parasitism A relationship between organisms in which one lives on, in or at the expense of another "host" organism. (e.g. tapeworm, lamprey)
Commensalism A relationship between organisms in which one species benefits, and the other is unaffected. (e.g. birds nesting in trees)
Mutualism A relationship between organisms in which both species benefit. (e.g. algae and coral)
Competition A relationship between organisms in which both organisms are harmed to some extent. Occurs when two organisms require a resource which is in short supply.
Intraspecific Competition between two members of the same species.
Interspecific Competition between two members of separate species.
Kingdom Prokaryote Consists of bacteria.
Bacilli Rod-shaped bacteria.
Cocci Sphere-shaped bacteria.
Spirilla Spiral-shaped bacteria.
Benefits of bacteria Assist with decomposition of dead organisms and the breakdown of food.
Eubacteria (A.K.A. true bacteria) Members of this group are nitrogen-fixers, and most are saprophytes.
Cyanobacteria Members of this group are photosynthetic, and are found in aquatic environments in filamentous strands.
Archaebacteria Members of this group are anaerobic, and are tolerant to extreme environments.
Kingdom Protista Consists of three major groups: plantlike, animal-like and fungus-like.
Plantlike Protista Two major types: planktonic (free-floating plankton) and benthic (attached to the bottom, e.g. seaweed and kelp)
Animal-like Protista May be aquatic, terrestrial or parasitic. These can cause disease or sickness.
Fungus-like Protista These are slimes or moulds.
Kingdom Mycetae Consists of fungi, yeasts, moulds, smuts and mildews. Members are non-photosynthetic and have cell walls made of chitin.
Kingdom Plantae Consists of mosses, ferns, trees, flowers, etc. Members are photosynthetic and have cell walls made of cellulose.
Mosses Primitive types of plants. The nucleus of these plant cells has a haploid number of chromosomes, enabling some of the cells to act as sex cells and some to act as normal plant cells.
Antheridia Special structures that produce sperm in gametophyte generation of mosses.
Archegonia Special structures that produce eggs in gametophyte generation of mosses.
Capsule (moss) Swollen tip of the sporophyte which produces spores by meiosis.
Alternation of generations Process in mosses wherein spores are released and fall to the ground and grow into gametophytes (haploid), which in turn produce sporophytes (diploid).
A reason that mosses are unable to grow more than a few centimeters tall A lack of vascular tissue and therefore cannot transport water. Instead rely on osmosis and diffusion and must reside in a moist area.
Vascular tissue (plants) Cells which are specialized in the transport of water, nutrients and organic material.
Xylem tissue A series of hollow tubes which carry water and dissolved nutrients (minerals) throughout a plant.
Phloem tissue A series of hollow tubes which carry organic material throughout a plant.
Ferns These are the most primitive of the vascular plants, wherein the development of vascular tissue is more evolutionarily advanced. This has enabled the sporophyte generation to become dominant over the gametophyte generation.
Gymnosperms These are coniferous, cone-bearing or "naked seed" plants.
Female cones These are longer and reside at the top of the tree.
Male cones These are shorter and reside at the bottom of the tree.
Emergence Gymnosperm germination.
Monecious Contain both male and female cones.
Cambium A layer of cells just inside of the bark of a tree, which is responsible for the increase in diameter.
Perennials These live for many years and grow every year.
Angiosperms This is the most highly evolved group of plants, and account for most of the plant species on earth. Generally have flat leaves and are deciduous.
Deciduous Trees which lose their leaves when the temperature begins to fall.
Coniferous Trees which have cones. Generally needle-bearing as well.
Perfect flower Contains both female and male reproductive parts.
Imperfect flower Contains only male or female reproductive parts.
Stamen Male parts of a flower, collectively.
Pistil Female parts of a flower, collectively.
Anther This is the part of the male reproductive organ in a flower which produces pollen.
Filament This is the part of the male reproductive organ in a flower which acts as the support.
Style This is the part of the female reproductive organ in a flower which acts as the support and leads from the ovule.
Stigma This is the part of the female reproductive organ in a flower which sits at the tip and has an adhesive coating.
Dicotyledons These are plants whose flowers have 4-5 petals and have a net pattern of vascular tissue in their leaves. The seeds of these plants have two equal halves.
Monocotyledons These are plants whose flowers have multiples of 3 petals (3, 6, 9, 12, etc.) and have a parallel pattern of vascular tissue in their leaves. The seeds of these plants cannot be cut into two equal halves.
Seed dispersal This is important for the spread of any plant species, and can be accomplished via air (dandelion), water (coconut) and animal interaction (bees pollenating flowers).
Kingdom Animalia Consists of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. and are the most evolutionarily advanced of all organsisms.
Assymetrical A rare body form usually found only in sponges. Their shape varies drastically from one individual to the next, and there is no way to divide the body into equal halves.
Radial A body form wherein the animal's body is structured around a central axis or core. Regardless of the angle of division, there will always be two equal halves. There is no anterior or posterior region.
Bilateral A body form found in animals whose bodies are constructed around a central plane. There is only one way to divide the body into two equal halves, and there is a definite anterior and posterior region. These are the most evolutionarily advanced animals.
Amniotic egg Development of this is one of the major evolutionary events which allowed animals to move from aquatic to terrestrial habitats. Allows the embryo to develop in an environment which is aquatic but also aerobic.
Coelom A.K.A. internal body cavity.
Arthropods This group includes almost 3/4 of all known animal species and consist of three body segments: head, thorax, abdomen.
Cephalothorax Term used to describe the fused head and thorax body segments in certain arthropods. (e.g. lobster)
Chordates These are the most evolutionarily advanced group of animals and includes vertebrates.
Distinguishing characteristics of chordates Possession of gill slits at some stage in embryonic development, possession of a nerve chord dorsal to the digestive system and possession of a notochord/skeletal axis (vertebral column).
Herbaceous Vascular plants which have no woody stems above ground.
Mesenteries Tissues which hold the digestive organs in place.
Age of the Earth Approximately 4.5-4.8 billion years.
Earliest evidence of life on Earth Approximately 3.8 billion years.
Homeotherm Animals which maintain a constant internal body temperature.
Poikilotherm Animals which require external stimulus in order to regulate their body temperatures.
Created by: davidsnarr
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