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Unit 5 Vocabulary
Ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acid rain | rain with an acidic Ph caused by burning fossil fuels...destroys life in lakes/rivers |
| autotroph | self-feeder; any organism that carries out photosynthesis...a producer |
| bacteria | a decomposer that helps to break down dead material and recycle it |
| biodiversity | having a wide variety of organisms living in an ecosystem; increases stability |
| carnivore | eats meat |
| carrying capacity | the largest number of organisms in a population that an environment can support |
| competition | fight to obtain food; shelter and mates |
| consumer | an organism that must eat another organism |
| decomposer | an organism (bacteria & fungi) that breaks down dead material and recycles it |
| deforestation | the cutting down of trees to make room for buildings or grazing land |
| ecology | the study of the interaction between organisms and their environment |
| ecosystem | all the organisms that live in an environment with their non-living environment |
| energy pyramid | the amount of energy available decreases as you move up the food chain |
| extinction | when all organisms of a particular species are dead |
| food web | all the possible interactions among organisms in an ecosystem (who eats who) |
| fossil fuels | coal; oil and gas...non-renewable resources that cause damage when burned |
| fungi | help the ecosystem by working as decomposers |
| global warming | increase in Earth's temperature due to increased carbon dioxide |
| herbivore | an organism that eats plants |
| heterotroph | an organism that consumes another organism to obtain energy |
| industrialization | the use of factories; etc. to increase human comfort and convenience |
| limiting factors | factors that prevent a population from growing out of control (space; food; predators) |
| ozone layer | the layer of O₃ in the atmosphere that protects Earth from ultraviolet rays |
| parasite/host | a symbiotic relationship where the parasite hurts the host (lice; tick; etc.) |
| pollution | placing harmful materials into the biosphere |
| population growth | the general pattern of growth; increases quickly then levels off at carrying capacity |
| predator/prey | relationship where one organism eats another |
| producer | a plant; something that uses photosynthesis to make its own food; autotroph |
| recycle | to break down used material into something usable again |
| scavenger | something that eats dead organisms |
| climax community | the most stable community a climate can support; high biodiversity |
| invasive species | species living where they did not originate; outcompete natives due to no predators |
| Abiotic | non-living parts of the environment (light; temperature; water; soil) |
| Biotic | living parts of the environment (plants; animals; bacteria; fungi) |
| Organism | any individual living thing |
| Population | all organisms of the same species living in an area |
| Community | all the different populations living together in an area |
| Biosphere | all ecosystems on Earth; the part of Earth that supports life |
| Climate | the average weather conditions in an area over long periods of time |
| Temporal | related to time; patterns or changes that occur over time |
| Spacial | related to space; how organisms or features are arranged in an area |
| Scale | the level of detail or size of study (local; regional; global) |
| Resources | materials or factors organisms need to survive (food; water; space) |
| Abundance | the number of individuals of a species in an area |
| Scale/Proportion/Quantity | describes size; amount; or comparison between quantities |
| Trend | a general pattern or direction of change over time |
| Symbiosis | a close relationship between two species living together |
| Mutualism | a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit |
| Commensalism | a symbiotic relationship where one benefits and the other is unaffected |
| Parasitism | a symbiotic relationship where one benefits and the other is harmed |
| Food Webs and Food Chains | models that show how energy moves through an ecosystem |
| Producer/Autotroph | an organism that makes its own food using photosynthesis |
| Consumer (primary; secondary; tertiary)/Heterotroph | an organism that must eat other organisms for energy |
| Stability and Change | how ecosystems remain balanced or shift due to internal or external factors |
| Ecological Succession | the natural process by which one community replaces another over time |
| Pioneer Species | the first species to populate an area during succession |
| Habitat | the natural environment where an organism lives |
| Disturbances (moderate vs extreme) | events that change ecosystems; moderate disturbances allow recovery; extreme may cause collapse |
| Recovery | the process by which an ecosystem returns to stability after a disturbance |
| habitat destruction | when natural habitats are damaged or removed by human activity |
| Overpopulation | when a population becomes too large for available resources |
| overexploitation (overhunting; overfishing; mining) | using natural resources faster than they can be replaced |
| Climate change (industrialization; fossil fuels) | long-term climate shifts caused by human activities releasing greenhouse gases |
| Renewable resources | resources that can be replaced naturally in a short time |
| Speciation | the formation of new species over time |
| Sustainability | using resources in a way that allows them to last for future generations |
| Preservation | protecting natural environments from damage or change |
| Criteria | standards used to judge how well a solution reduces impacts |
| Constraints | limitations such as cost; safety; reliability; aesthetics |
| Social/Cultural/Environmental Impacts | effects a decision has on people; communities; and ecosystems |
| Trade-offs | balancing benefits and drawbacks when choosing a solution |
| flocking | group movement behavior seen in birds |
| schooling | group movement behavior seen in fish |
| herding | group movement behavior seen in mammals |
| cooperative hunting | when organisms work together to catch prey |
| migrating | seasonal movement of organisms from one region to another |
| swarming | large groups of organisms moving together in a coordinated way |
| Survival rate | the percentage of individuals that live from one time period to the next |
| Habitat | where an organism lives and finds what it needs to survive |
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