Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Ecology
VIII. Ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecology | The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environments. The study of how we share the planet with other organisms and how we deal with the environment surrounding us. |
| species | A group of organisms that are so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. |
| population | A group of individuals belonging to the same species and living within the same area |
| community | An assembly of different populations that live together in a defined area. |
| ecosystem | All collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place. Also includes the environment surrounding these organisms. Includes abiotic & biotic factors. |
| biome | A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities. |
| biosphere | The combined portions of the planet in which all life exists. This includes land, air, water and the atmosphere. |
| abiotic factors | The non-living chemical and physical parts of an environment that affect living organisms and ecosystems; temperature, light, water, and soil composition |
| biotic factors | Living components of an ecosystem that influence or affect other organisms; plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and other living organisms within an environment |
| chemosynthesis | Process by which food is made by bacteria or other living things using chemicals as the energy source, typically in the absence of sunlight |
| detritivores | Organism that eats dead or decaying plants or animals as food; fungi, insects, worms, and some crustaceans |
| food chain | A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten. |
| phytoplankton | Microscopic, plant-like organisms that live in water and use sunlight to make their own food through photosynthesis |
| zooplankton | Tiny, animal-like organisms that drift in water, unable to swim strongly against currents |
| food web | The linking of a number of food chains within an ecosystem. |
| trophic level | Each step in a food chain or food web |
| ecological pyramid of energy | A diagram that shows the amount of energy or matter contained in each trophic level of a food chain or food web. |
| pyramid of biomass | Graphical representation that shows the total amount of living matter (biomass) at each trophic level in an ecosystem |
| biogeochemical cycles | Natural processes where essential chemical elements (like water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) are continuously recycled between living organisms and the environment (atmosphere, soil, water) |
| nitrogen fixation | In order for plants to be able to use nitrogen in the soil, it must be converted to ammonia. Bacteria living in the soil use the process of nitrogen fixation to convert the nitrogen in the soil into products that plants can use to make proteins. |
| nitrification | Biological process where ammonia is converted into nitrite and then into nitrate by specific bacteria |
| ammonification | Process where decomposers like bacteria and fungi break down organic nitrogen, like that found in dead plants and animals, into ammonia (NH3) or ammonium ions (NH4+) |
| assimilation | Process where absorbed nutrients (nitrates & ammonia) are converted into the usable substances (amino acids & nucleotides) that make up the plant tissues |
| transpiration | Process where plants lose water through evaporation, primarily from their leaves (pores called stomata) |
| phosphorus cycle | Process by which phosphorus moves through the lithosphere (rocks and soil), hydrosphere (water), and biosphere (living organisms); it doesn't involve a significant atmospheric component |
| geological uplifting | Process by which Earth's crust is raised, resulting in the elevation of landforms such as mountains and plateaus; brings phosphorus up from sediment |
| greenhouse effect | Natural process where certain gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane) in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the Earth to a temperature suitable for life |
| niche | The specific role an organism plays within its ecosystem, encompassing its interactions with other species and the environment; its job |
| combustion | Chemical process in which a substance reacts rapidly with oxygen and gives off heat; burning fossil fuels |
| habitat | Natural environment where a plant, animal, or other organism lives |
| competitive exclusion principle | Two species competing for the same limited resources cannot coexist indefinitely in the same niche; one species will be eliminated or driven to a different niche |
| invasive species | Plants or animals that are not native to an ecosystem, which can cause damage and destroy biodiversity. |
| keystone species | An organism that plays a crucial role in its ecosystem, and its removal would drastically alter the structure and biodiversity of that ecosystem |
| symbiosis | Close, prolonged association between two or more different biological species |
| commensalism | Type of symbiosis where one organism benefits from another organism without causing it any harm or benefit |
| intraspecific competition | Biological interaction where individuals of the same species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem |
| interspecific competition | Biological interaction where individuals of different species compete for the same limited resources in an ecosystem |
| ecological succession | The replacement of one community by another, developing toward a climax |
| primary succession | The ecological succession of vegetation that occurs in passing from barren earth or water to a climax community |
| secondary succession | The development of biotic communities in an area where the natural vegetation has been removed or destroyed but where soil is present |
| pioneer species | First organisms to colonize a barren or disturbed environment, setting the stage for future ecological succession |
| climax community | Stable, final stage of ecological succession in a particular environment, characterized by a relatively stable species composition and balance with the environment |
| taiga | Largest biome on the Earth's terrestrial surface and has long, cold, and dry winters with short, warm, and moist summers, and a variety of migratory and residential organisms |
| plankton | Microscopic organisms that live suspended in water and are carried by currents and tides |
| exponential growth | Population increase where the growth rate is proportional to the size of the population; results in a J-shaped curve when graphed |
| logistic growth | How a population grows when resources are limited, causing the growth rate to slow down as the population approaches the environment's carrying capacity, resulting in an S-shaped growth curve. |
| carrying capacity | Maximum number of individuals of a particular species that a specific environment can sustainably support; essentially the population size that an area can handle without depleting its resources or harming the environment |
| limiting factors | A factor that limits a population's growth; i.e. resources, shelter, food and disease |
| density dependent limiting factors | Environmental factors that have a greater impact on a population as the population density (number of individuals per unit area) increases; competition, predation, disease |
| density independent limiting factors | Environmental conditions that affect a population's size regardless of how many individuals are present; natural disasters and human activities |
| demography | Statistical study of populations, focusing on their size, structure, and how they change over time |
| sustainable development | Using and managing biological resources in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs |
| desertification | Process of ecological degradation in which fertile land becomes arid and loses or reduces its productivity |
| deforestation | Decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities |
| biological magnification | Process where the concentration of a toxic substance increases in organisms at higher trophic levels of a food chain |
| smog | Type of air pollution caused by smoke & fog made heavier and darker by chemical fumes of nitrogen oxides, VOCs, and ozone. |
| acid rain | Precipitation that contains acid from air pollution and is harmful to both plants and animals. It reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen that lakes and streams can hold, which harms aquatic life. |
| ozone depletion | The reduction of ozone concentration in the Earth's stratosphere, primarily caused by human-made chemicals like CFCs |
| global warming | The increase in worldwide temperatures due to an increase in greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels. |
| habitat fragmentation | Process where a large, continuous habitat is broken up into smaller, isolated pieces; human activity like road construction, logging, agriculture |
| ecological footprint | Measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems; how much nature is needed to support a specific lifestyle or activity |
| What are the levels of organization at which you can study ecology? | From smallest to largest they are: 1) the individual; 2) population; 3) community; 4) ecosystem; 5) biome and 6) biosphere |
| Autotroph | Organisms that capture energy from the sun and use that energy to produce food. Typically, autotrophs are plants, algae and certain bacteria. |
| Producers | Another term for autotrophs that capture energy from the sun to make their own food. |
| Heterotrophs | Organisms that rely on other organisms for their food supply. |
| Consumers | Another word for heterotrophs that must consume other organisms for food. |
| Herbivores | Organisms that obtain energy by eating only plants. |
| Carnivores | Organisms that obtain energy by eating other animals |
| Omnivores | Organisms that obtain their energy by eating both plants and animals. |
| How does energy flow through an ecosystem? | In one direction--from the sun to autotrophs (producers) and then to various heterotrophs (consumers) |
| 10% rule of energy transfer within an ecosystem | Only about 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms in the next trophic level. |
| What happens to the 90% of the energy in a trophic level that is not available to move to the organisms at the next trophic level? | Most of it is used by the organisms at that trophic level for life processes such as digesting, breathing, reproducing, etc. The rest is lost as heat as calories are used to produce energy. |
| Limiting Nutrient | A nutrient that is scarce or cycles slowly within an ecosystem, thus limiting the growth and or reproduction of organisms within that ecosystem. |
| Biodiversity | The number and variety of organisms within one region (biome) |
| Tertiary Consumer | A carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers. |
| Primary Consumer | Herbivores (plant-eaters) |
| Secondary Consumer | They are carnivores (meat-eaters) and omnivores (animals that eat both animals and plants) |
| Decomposer | An organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material. |
| Primary Producer | Organisms in an ecosystem that produce biomass from inorganic compounds (autotrophs). In almost all cases these are photosynthetically active organisms (plants, cyanobacteria and a number of other unicellular organisms; see article on photosynthesis) |
| Degradation | The process of destroying or harming something - such as the environment. |
| ozone layer | Part of the atmosphere that blocks some solar radiation. It has gotten thinner due to the use of CFC's (a pollutant banned in the US). This is a problem because this layer protects life from certain harmful types of solar radiation. |
| Conservation | Efforts to reduce the consumption (use) of resources |
| Carbon dioxide | A molecule that contains one carbon and two oxygen. It is a product of respiration and is also consumed by plants during photosynthesis. Burning fossil fuels can put too much of this gas in our atmosphere. |
| Fossil Fuels | Fuels that are taken from the earth such as coal, crude oil, natural gas, etc. (Gasoline & other fuels are made from crude oil.) Burning these produces lots of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, as well as other types of air pollution. |
Created by:
MrsKim
Popular Biology sets