Ecology unit

Ecology

Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

Habitat

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Biome

Community

All the different populations that live together in an area

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving components of environment.

Biotic Factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Limiting Factors

Conditions in the environment that put limits on where an organism can live

climax community

A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time

Pioneer Species

First species to populate an area during primary succession

primary succession

An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community

secondary succession

Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

logistic growth

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of

exponential growth

Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant

predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food

density dependent factors

A limiting factor of a population wherein large, dense populations are

Density dependent factors

large, dense population more strongly than small, sparse ones.

density-independent factors

Limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless

mutualism

both organisms benefit

Commensalism

Relationship where one organisms benefits, the other isn't effected

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

symbiotic relationship

close interaction between species in which one species lives in or on the other

niche

Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

population density

A measurement of the number of people per given unit of land

prey

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

competition

the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

host

an animal or plant that nourishes and supports a parasite

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food

Heterotroph

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer

food chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

food web

a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms

trophic level

Each step in a food chain or food web

Biomass

total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

carbon cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

water cycle

The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back

keystone species

A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

Producer

An organism that can make its own food. aka autotroph

consumer

An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms aka heterotroph

Herbivore

A consumer that eats only plants

Carnivore

A consumer that eats only animals.

energy pyramid

A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another

10% rule of energy transfer

when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on

invasive species

species that enter new ecosystems and multiply, harming native species and their

habitats

where organism live

birthrate

the number of live births each year in a population

46. death rate:

the number of deaths each year in a population

47. If birth rate > death rate then…

populaton increases

48. If the birth rate < the death rate then…:

population decreases

49. What are some examples of density dependent limiting factors?

49. Water, food, shelter, space

What are some examples of density independent limiting

natural disaster, poaching, climate:

ocean acidification

decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels

global warming

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

53. green house effect

When heat from the surface is trapped be the atmosphere

disease

density dependent limiting factor

volcanic eruption

leads to secondary succession

as toxins move up in the trophic levels what happens to the toxins?

Increase

which organism will be more likely to have a higher level of DDT; an osprey or algae?

osprey

Do plants use cellular respiration?

Yes

60. nitrogen cycle

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere

legumes:

Beans, peas, and lentils, valued as inexpensive sources of protein,- Use bacteria in root nodules

62. nitrogen fixation:

process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb