Term | Definition |
species | organisms that can mate with each other and produce fertile offspring [B] |
population | a group of organisms of one species living in one area at one time [B] |
community | multiple populations living in one area [B] |
ecosystem | a community and the abiotic factors in the area [B] |
niche | the role a species plays in an ecosystem, including where it lives and what it eats [B] |
food web | a model, using arrows, of the consumer interactions in a community [B] |
producer impact | change in the producer (mainly plants) level can affect the # and size of other trophic levels [B] |
biotic and abiotic | 1) living (or once living) factors 2) non-living (were never alive) factors [B] |
dynamic homeostasis | constant movement (change) of a factor toward a stable target point [B] |
symbiosis | interactions between organism of two species, including mutualism and parasitism [B] |
energy pyramid | a model of 10% energy flow through consecutive trophic levels [B] |
exponential and logistic population growth | 1) reproduction without restraints
2) population exceeds resource availability (carrying capacity) [B] |
free energy | this available energy (G) is used to maintain organization, growth and reproduction which can effect individuals, populations and ecosystems [BB] |
matter cycles | various nutrient (carbon, water, nitrogen, etc.) circuits in which matter is converted between biotic and abiotic aspects of an ecosystem [BB] |
keystone species | A species that is of exceptional importance in maintaining the species diversity of a community since many members of a food web rely on the species [BB] |
predator-prey relationships | the interaction between a predator and prey population cause their population sizes to increase and decrease in response to each other [BB] |
stability (ecological) | the ability of a food web to remain relatively unchanged is affected by interactions with biotic and abiotic factors (and biodiversity) [BB] |
biodiversity | variation in life (including variation in species, ecosystems and genetics) [BB] |
communication | exchange of information (sound, visual, chemical, etc.) in response to internal and external stimuli [BB] |
innate behavior | actions that are not learned by a behavior, but are inherited (instinctual) [BB] |
environmental cues | signals that trigger changes in behavior (hibernation, migration, courtship, etc.) [BB] |
cooperative behavior | interactions within or between populations that contribute to the survival of the populations (mutualism, resource partitioning, etc.) [BB] |
human impact | the influence that human population growth and actions has led to habitat destruction, reduced population and, in some cases, extinction for other species [BB] |
species distribution | the geographical areas that a species lives (changes over time as influenced by many factors) -- also consider abundance [BB] |
primary productivity | the rate at which light energy (captured during photosynthesis) is converted into chemical energy by plants (and other autotrophs) in an ecosystem (can also include chemosynthesis) [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
secondary productivity | the rate at which consumed food is converted into new chemical energy by consumers in an ecosystem [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
gross productivity | the rate at which energy is taken in and converted to ALL forms of chemical energy, including biomass, cellular respiration and waste [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
net productivity | the rate at which energy is taken in and converted to the chemical energy found in biomass, excluding cellular respiration and waste [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
wet and dry mass | 1) the mass of an organism including its biomass and water
2) the biomass of an organism, taken after the organism has been dehydrated [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
biomass | the part of gross productivity that includes the dry mass of an organism which (when divided by time) can be used to calculate net productivity [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
kcal of respiration | the part of gross productivity that is used to convert organic compounds into ATP for movement, growth and reproduction [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
kcal of waste | the part of gross productivity that is released from the body without being utilized [Lab: Energy Dynamics] |
taxis | a movement directly toward or away from a stimulus [Lab: Behavior] |
kinesis | a change in the rate of movement in response to a stimulus [Lab: Behavior] |
chi-square test | a statistical test for categorical data which can determine if there is a significant difference between the expected and observed results [Lab: Behavior] |
null hypothesis | a hypothesis that states there is NOT a significant difference between the expected and observed results [Lab: Behavior] |
behavior | All of the acts an organism performs including, seeking a suitable habitat, obtaining food, avoiding predators, and seeking a mate and reproducing. [Lab: Behavior] |
degrees of freedom | used in the chi-square test, it is the number of categories minus 1 [Lab: Behavior] |
choice chamber | A device that offers organisms two or more contrasting environments and allows them to move freely into the one they prefer [Lab: Behavior] |
significant difference | a large difference between the expected and observed results which can not be attributed to random chance as determined by the chi-square test [Lab: Behavior] |
endotherm | animal that uses metabolic energy to maintain a constant body temperature, such as a bird or mammal [BB] |
ectotherm | animal such as a reptile, fish, or amphibian, that must use environmental energy and behavioral adaptations to regulate its body temperature [BB] |
phototropism | growth of a plant shoot toward (or away from) light [BB |
photoperiodism | physiological response to day length, such as flowering in plants [BB] |