Ecology, Climate Zones, Oceanography & Evolution: Key Concepts for Biology

What is ecology?

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

What is environmental science?

Interdisciplinary study of human impacts on the environment.

What is environmentalism?

Social/political movement to protect the environment.

What is sustainability?

Meeting present needs without harming future generations.

What are the levels of organization in ecology?

Individual → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Landscape → Biosphere.

What is physiological ecology?

Study of how organisms adapt physiologically to their environment.

What is behavioral ecology?

Study of how behavior affects survival and reproduction.

What is population ecology?

Study of populations, their size, density, and dynamics.

What is community ecology?

Study of species interactions and community structure.

What is ecosystem ecology?

Study of energy flow and nutrient cycling.

What is landscape ecology?

Study of spatial patterns and ecological processes across large areas.

What is biosphere ecology?

Study of global ecological processes integrating all ecosystems.

What are the four climate zones?

Tropical, subtropical, temperate, polar.

What is atmospheric circulation?

Large-scale movement of air that redistributes heat on Earth.

What is uneven heating?

Solar radiation stronger at equator, weaker at poles.

What are Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar cells?

Global circulation cells that drive climate and winds.

What is the Coriolis effect?

Deflection of moving air/water due to Earth's rotation.

What are prevailing winds?

Major wind belts (trade winds, westerlies).

What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate?

Cooling of dry air as it rises (~10°C per km).

What is the wet adiabatic lapse rate?

Cooling of saturated air as it rises (~6°C per km).

What is a rain shadow?

Dry area on leeward side of mountains.

What is biogeography?

Study of distribution of species across space and time.

What is primary productivity?

Rate at which plants produce biomass via photosynthesis.

What are the major terrestrial biomes?

Rainforest, dry forest, savanna, desert, temperate grassland, chaparral, temperate forest, temperate rainforest, boreal forest, tundra, alpine.

What is turnover time?

Time for water in a system to be replaced.

What is thermohaline circulation?

Global ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity.

What is upwelling?

Movement of nutrient-rich deep water to the surface.

What is El Niño?

Climate phenomenon disrupting ocean circulation and weather.

What is density (in water)?

Mass per unit volume; influenced by temp and salinity.

What is buoyancy?

Upward force allowing organisms to float.

What is viscosity?

Resistance of water to flow; affects organism movement.

What is light penetration in water?

Decreases with depth, limiting photosynthesis.

What is heat conductivity of water?

Water conducts heat faster than air.

What is specific heat of water?

Water requires more energy to change temperature than air.

What is gas diffusion in water?

Slower in water than in air.

What does benthic mean?

Organisms living on the bottom.

What does sessile mean?

Fixed in one place.

What does motile mean?

Capable of movement.

What does planktonic mean?

Floating organisms carried by currents.

What does pelagic mean?

Living in the open water.

What are the ocean zones?

Littoral/intertidal, neritic, epipelagic, benthic, pelagic, hadal.

What is bioluminescence?

Production of light by organisms.

What are zooxanthellae?

Symbiotic algae in corals.

What does lentic mean?

Still water (lakes, ponds).

What does lotic mean?

Flowing water (rivers, streams).

What is turbidity?

Cloudiness of water due to particles.

What is an oligotrophic lake?

Nutrient-poor, clear water.

What is a eutrophic lake?

Nutrient-rich, productive water.

What is riparian habitat?

Vegetation and ecosystems along rivers/streams.

What is evolution?

Change in genetic composition of populations over time.

What is natural selection?

Process where advantageous traits increase survival/reproduction.

What is a gene?

Unit of heredity coding for traits.

What is an allele?

Alternative form of a gene.

What is a phenotype?

Observable traits of an organism.

What does dominant mean?

Allele expressed when present.

What does recessive mean?

Allele expressed only when homozygous.

What does heterozygous mean?

Having two different alleles for a gene.

What does homozygous mean?

Having two identical alleles for a gene.

What is random mating?

All individuals equally likely to pair.

What is fitness (in evolution)?

Ability to survive and reproduce.

What is stabilizing selection?

Selection favoring average traits.

What is directional selection?

Selection favoring one extreme trait.

What is disruptive selection?

Selection favoring both extremes.

What is a population bottleneck?

Sharp population decline reducing genetic diversity.

What is the founder effect?

When a small group starts a new population with low diversity.

What is genetic drift?

Random changes in allele frequencies.

What is inbreeding depression?

Reduced fitness from mating among close relatives.

What is a mass extinction?

Loss of many species in a short time.

What is the Holocene?

Geological epoch before the Anthropocene, last 11,700 years.

What is the Anthropocene?

Proposed epoch marked by human impact on Earth.

What is shifting baseline syndrome?

Each generation accepts degraded ecosystems as "normal."

What is ALAN?

Artificial light at night (light pollution).

What is light pollution?

Excessive artificial light disrupting ecosystems.

What is noise pollution?

Human-made noise disrupting wildlife.

What is climate migration?

Movement of species/people due to climate change.

What is phenology?

Timing of biological events like flowering/migration.

What is coral bleaching?

Expulsion of zooxanthellae from stressed corals.

What is habitat fragmentation?

Breaking continuous habitat into isolated patches.

What are corridors in ecology?

Strips connecting habitat patches.

What are stepping stones in ecology?

Small habitat patches aiding movement.

What are edge effects?

Changes at habitat boundaries.

What is assisted migration?

Human relocation of species to new habitats.

What is a native species?

Species naturally occurring in an area.

What is an introduced species?

Species brought to an area by humans.

What is a naturalized species?

Non-native species established in the wild.

What is an invasive species?

Non-native species that spread and cause harm.

What is long-distance dispersal?

Rare, long-range movement of species.

What is ocean acidification?

Drop in ocean pH due to CO₂ absorption.

What is calcium carbonate?

Mineral used by corals and shell-forming organisms.

What is pH?

Measure of acidity or alkalinity.

What is coral porosis?

Weakening of coral skeletons due to acidification.

What are foraminifera?

Marine protozoa with calcium carbonate shells.

What are coccolithophores?

Phytoplankton with calcium carbonate plates.

What are zooxanthellae?

Symbiotic algae in corals.

What are honey guides?

Birds that lead humans to beehives.

What is the Linnaean classification system?

Scientific naming system using binomials.

What is a Latin binomial?

Two-part species name (Genus species).

What does ecology mean literally?

"Study of the home" (oikos = home, logos = study).

What is revolutionary science?

Paradigm-shifting science that changes frameworks.

What is the Semmelweis reflex?

Rejecting new knowledge that contradicts norms.