Ecology and Environmental Science Lecture Notes

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on key concepts from ecology and environmental science as discussed in the lecture notes.

Tragedy of the Commons

A concept by Garrett Hardin (1967) stating that freedom of access to a common resource ultimately brings ruin to all who enter.

Commons

Shared and collectively managed spaces by a community, such as a pasture.

Individual vs. Common Good

The conflict between individual interests and the collective benefit of the community.

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their physical environment functioning together as a unit.

Conservation of matter

The principle that matter is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed.

Conservation of energy

The principle that energy in the universe is constant, neither created nor destroyed, but can change forms.

Food Chain

The sequence of feeding relationships through which energy is transferred in an ecosystem.

Trophic Pyramid

A model that illustrates the energy transfer and biomass at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Law of Tolerance

The concept that organisms live up to the limits of their physiological tolerance.

Niche

The total range of abiotic and biotic conditions a species can tolerate.

Population Age Structure

The proportion of different aged individuals in a population, often represented in an age pyramid.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum number of individuals an environment can indefinitely support.

Exponential Growth

Population growth model showing unlimited growth in an ideal environment, typically represented by a J-shaped curve.

Logistic Growth

Population growth model in a limited environment leading to an S-shaped curve.

Physiological Ecology

The study of how physiological processes influence the distribution and abundance of organisms.

Vertical Zonation

The layering of organisms in a vertical fashion due to abiotic and biotic factors.