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
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
CHAPTER 5 - INTERACTIONS: ENVIRONMENTS AND ORGANISMS
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| limiting factors | the primary condition of the environment that determines the population size for an organism |
| range of tolerance | the ability organisms have to succeed under a variety of environmental conditions. The breadth of this tolerance is an important ecological characteristic of a species |
| gene | a unit of heredity; a segment of DNA that contains information for the synthesis of a specific protein, such as an enzyme |
| species | a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce offspring capable of reproduction |
| natural selection | a process that determines which individuals within a species will reproduce more effectively and therefore results in changes in the characteristics within a species |
| ecology | a branch of science that deals with the interrelationship between organisms and their environment |
| community | interacting groups of different species |
| biotic factors | living portions of the environment |
| abiotic factors | nonliving factors that influence the life and activities of an organism |
| population | a group of individuals of the same species occupying a given area |
| niche | the total role an organism plays in its ecosystem |
| habitat | the specific kind of place where a particular kind of organism lives |
| decomposer | small organisms, such as bacteria or fungi, that cause the decay of dead organic matter and recycle nutrients |
| evolution | a change in the structure, behavior, or physiology of a population of organisms as a result of some organisms with favorable characteristics having greater reproductive success than those organisms with less favorable characteristics |
| speciation | the process of developing a new species |
| polyploidy | a condition in which the number of sets of chromosomes increases |
| extinction | the death of a species; the elimination of all the individuals of a particular kind |
| coevolution | two or more species of organisms reciprocally influencing the evolutionary direction of the other |
| predation | the act of killing and feeding by a predator |
| prey | an organism that is killed and eaten by a predator |
| competition | an interaction between two organisms in which both require the same limited resource, which results in harm to both |
| intraspecific competition | competition among members of the same species for a limited resource |
| interspecific competition | competition between members of different species for a limited resource |
| competitive exclusion principle | a theory that no two populations of different species will occupy the same niche and compete for exactly the same resources in the same habitat for very long |
| symbiosis | a close, long-lasting physical relationships between members of two different species |
| parasitism | a relationship between organisms in which one, known as the parasite, lives in or on the host and derives benefit from the relationship while the host is harmed |
| parasite | an organism adapted to survival by using another living organism (host) for nourishment |
| host | the organism a parasite uses for its source of food |
| vector | an organism that carries a disease form one host to another |
| ectoparasites | a parasite that is adapted to live on the outside of its host |
| endoparasites | a parasite that is adapted to live within a host |
| commensalism | the relationship between organisms in which one organism benefits while the other is not affected |
| mutualism | the association between organisms in which both benefit |
| mycorrhizae | symbiotic soil fungi, present in most soils that attach themselves directly onto the roots of most plants. They help the host plants to absorb more water and nutrients while the host plants provide food for the fungi |
| ecosystem | a group of interacting species along with their physical environment |
| producer | an organism that can manufacture food from inorganic compounds and light energy |
| consumer | organisms that use other organisms as food |
| primary consumer | an animal that eats plants (producers) directly |
| herbivore | primary consumers; animals that eat plants |
| secondary consumer | animals that eat animals that have eaten plants |
| carnivores | animals that eat other animals |
| omnivores | animals that eat both plants and other animals |
| decomposers | small organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, that cause the decay of dead organic matter and recycle nutrients |
| keystone species | one that has a critical role to play in the maintenance of specific ecosystems |
| trophic level | a stage in the energy flow through ecosystems |
| biomass | any accumulation of organic material produced by living things |
| food chain | the series of organisms involved in the passage of energy from one trophic level to the next |
| detritus | tiny particles of organic material that result form fecal waste material or the decomposition of plants and animals |
| food web | intersecting and overlapping food chains |
| biogeochemical cycles | the processes by which atoms are cycled in ecosystems |
| carbon cycle | the cyclic flow of carbon from the atmosphere to living organisms and back to the atmospheric reservoir |
| nitrogen cycle | the series of stage in the flow of nitrogen in ecosystems |
| nitrogen-fixing bacteria | bacteria that are able to convert the nitrogen gas (N2) in the atmosphere into forms that plants can use |
| free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria | bacteria that live in the soil and can convert nitrogen gas (N2) in the atmosphere into forms that plants can use |
| symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria | bacteria that grow within a plant’s root system and that can convert nitrogen gas (N2) from the atmosphere to nitrogen compounds that the plant can use |
| nitrifying bacteria | bacteria that are able to convert ammonia to nitrite, which can be converted to nitrate |
| denitrifying bacteria | bacteria that convert nitrogen compounds into nitrogen gas |
Created by:
Jessica C
Popular Earth Science sets