MagBio Unit 6 Vocab terms

By Neil

Abiotic Factor

any non-living part of the environment

Age Structure Diagram

a model showing the distribution of a population by sex and age groups, useful to infer population growth rates

Autotroph

An organism capable of making its own food through chemosynthesis or photosynthesis

Biomagnification

the increase in concentration of compounds as they move up the food chain

Biomass

the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume

Biome

Group of similar ecosystems characterized by similar climate (temp and precipitation) and similar communities

Biosphere

all parts of Earth that supports life

Biotic Factor

any living or once living part of the ecosystem

Carbon Cycle

system that moves carbon between the atmosphere, organisms, soil, and deep Earth reservoirs (carbon sinks)

Carnivore

A heterotrophic organism that consumes only other heterotrophs (eats animals)

Carrying Capacity

the maximum population size that a particular ecosystem can support, determined by limiting factors

Climate

average yearly temperature and rainfall in a particular geographic region

Climax Community

stable, mature ecological community with little change in the composition of species; differs for each biome

Clumped/Cluster Distribution

population distribution of organisms that tend to live in groups or herds

Commensalism

a symbiotic relationship where one party benefits and the other neither benefits or is harmed; +/0

Community

a group of populations that live and interact with each other in the same area/time

Competition

a community interaction between two or more organisms that rely on the same limited resource such as food, water, light, space, mates, and/or nesting sites

Condensation

water that changes from vapor in the atmosphere to liquid droplets

Conservation

protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment

Denitrification

process that converts solid nitrogen-containing compounds into gaseous atmospheric nitrogen

Denitrifying bacteria

bacteria that convert solid nitrogen-containing compounds into gaseous atmospheric nitrogen

Density Dependent Factor

factor that limits population size more as population density increases

Density Independent Factor

factor that limits population size in similar ways, regardless of population density

Detritivore

a consumer (heterotroph) that eats only dead organisms; usually not shown on food webs

Ecological Footprint

the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to support an individual

Ecological Succession

series of gradual changes that occur in a biological community over time

Ecology

the study of relationships between organisms and their environments

Ecosystem

all of the interactions between a community and the environment in a specific area; includes both biotic and abiotic factors

Energy Pyramid

a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food chain/web

Eutrophication

a process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae; eventually leads to a low oxygen environment and the death of larger organisms such as fish

Exponential Population Growth

population growth that is unlimited in an ideal environment; j-curve

Extinction

When a species ceases to exist, due to decreasing population sizes and last individuals dying before reproducing

Fossil Fuels

coal, oil, natural gas, and other energy-rich compounds that are the ancient remains of plants and animals

Food Chain

A single path of feeding relationships in a community, showing energy flow

Food Web

A network of interconnected food chains in a community, showing complex feeding relationships and energy flow

Global Warming

a pattern of increasing yearly global average temperatures; caused by increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other greenhouse gasses

Greenhouse Effect

some atmospheric gasses trap heat that radiates from Earth's surface, reflecting it back toward earth causing a temporary increase in global temperatures

Habitat

a place that contains all of the necessary biotic/abiotic factors for an organism to live

Hydrologic (Water) Cycle

system that moves H2O between the atmosphere, organisms, soil, and liquid reservoirs

Herbivore

A consumer that feeds exclusively on producers (eats plants only)

Heterotroph

"other-feeder" an organism that cannot make its own food and must consume other organisms

Host

The organism in a parasitic relationship that is harmed/host to a parasite

Interspecific Competition

competition between members of different species

Intraspecific Competition

competition between members of the same species

Invasive Species

Non-native species that immigrate and thrive, outcompeting native species

k-strategists

a species that produces few offspring and provides extensive parental support; reproductive strategy based on a high quality of offspring

Limiting Factor

a factor that restricts population growth

Logistic Population Growth

population growth that is limited as the population approaches carrying capacity; s-curve

Mutualism

a symbiotic relationship where both parties benefit; +/+

Niche

an organism's particular role in a community; how it makes its living; includes role in food web

Nitrification

process of converting solid nitrogen-containing compounds into "better" solid nitrates/nitrites that plants can use

Nitrifying Bacteria

bacteria that convert solid nitrogen-containing compounds into "better" solid nitrates/nitrites that plants can use

Nitrogen Cycle

system that moves N between the atmosphere, organisms, soil, bodies of water, and deep Earth reservoirs

Nitrogen Fixation

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

Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

bacteria that convert gaseous atmospheric nitrogen into solid nitrogen- containing compounds

Nonrenewable Resource

a natural resource that is consumed more rapidly than it is produced

Numbers Pyramid

AKA energy pyramid models the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain. # organisms decreases as trophic level increases.

Omnivore

A consumer that feeds upon other consumers and producers (eats plants and animals)

Over-exploitation

human activities, such as over-fishing, over-hunting and over-grazing, that cause extinctions and destroy the food web balance

Parasitism

a symbiotic relationship where one party benefits and the other is harmed; +/

Percolation

water that soaks into ground

Phosphorous Cycle

system that moves P between rocks, organisms, soil, bodies of water, and deep Earth reservoirs

Pioneer Species

the first species to populate an area; typically lichen

Population

a group of organisms that are of the same species and live in the same area/time

Population Density

the number of individuals in a population that live in an area of a particular size; example 100 per square mile

Population Distribution

the arrangement or spread of the individuals of a population in a particular area

Precipitation

water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Predation

a community interaction in between two organisms where one kills and then eats the other

Primary Succession

ecological succession that begins in locations without soil; begins on bare rock, takes longer

Producer

AKA autotroph an organism that makes its own food using sunlight

r-strategist

a species that produces many offspring and provides minimal parental support; reproductive strategy based on a high quantity of offspring

Random Distribution

population distribution of organisms that do not appear to follow a particular pattern

Renewable Resource

a natural resource that is produced more rapidly than it is consumed

Run-off

water that flows over the ground, downhill

Secondary Succession

ecological succession that begins in locations with soil; developing after ecosystem was disrupted/destroyed

Survivorship Curve (Type I, II, III)

a graph comparing the relative percent of individuals in different age groups for a typical population of a species - Type I: where most individuals die in old age; typical of k-strategists - Type II: where the death rate is constant over the organism's life span - Type III: where most individuals die young; typical of r-strategists

Sustainability

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Symbiosis

a close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species

Transpiration

water that evaporates from the leaves of a plant

Trophic Level

each step in a food chain or food web

Uniform Distribution

population distribution of organisms that tend to live evenly spaced from one another

10% rule of energy flow

Only 10% of available energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, 90% is lost as heat or used for daily function