Final An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Ecology

the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environments

Biotic Factors

all of the organisms in the area and the living components of the environment

Abiotic factors

the environment’s nonliving component, which includes the chemical and physical factors such as temp, light, water, minerals, and air

Habitat

the specific environment an organism lives i,n and includes the abiotic and biotic factors of its surroundings.

Organisms

a single living thing

Organismal ecology

the branch of ecology that studies how an individual's organisms, structure, physiology, and behaviors enable it to survive and reproduce in its environment

Population

a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area

Population ecology

the branch of ecology that studies populations and examines the factors that affect population density, size, growth, and change over time

Communities

all the organisms and different populations living and interacting in the same area at the same time

Community ecology

a branch of ecology that studies interactions among different species within a community, how species coexist and compete, prey on each other, form symbiosis, and how community structure emerges.

Ecosystem

all the abiotic factors of the environment, plus a community in a defined area, and the interactions between them

Ecosystem ecology

the branch of ecology that studies the interactions between living organisms and their physical environment, focusing on the energy flow and nutrient cycling at the level of the ecosystem

Biosphere

the global ecosystem; the sum of all the plant ecosystems/ all of life, and where it lives

Acclimation

gradual, reversible, physiological adjustments that occur in response to an environmental change

Biome

a major terrestrial or aquatic life zone characterized by a vegetation type in terrestrial biomes or the physical environment in aquatic biomes

Photic Zone

the uppermost layer of a body of water that receives enough sunlight to allow for photosynthesis; shallow water near shore, and the upper layer away from shore

Aphotic zone

a deeper layer of water where sunlight doesn’t penetrate, thus photosynthesis cannot occur

Benethic realm

the lowest level of a body of water; ocean floor; made up of sand, organic, and inorganic sediments; occupiers by communities of organisms including algae, aquatic plants, worms, insect larvae, and microorganisms.

Pelagic realm

the open water region of a body of water away from the shore and bottomContinentall shelf

Intertidal zone

where land meets the ocean; an area between high and low tides where the shore is pounded during high tide and the exposed to air and sun during low tide

Estuaries

a transition area in a coastal region where freshwater from a river and salt water meet; among the most productive areas on earth, as they serve as important nurseries and habitats

Phytoplankton

collective name for photosynthetic organisms (microscopic algae, cyanobacteria) living in the photic zone and the base of many aquatic food webs

Zooplankton

small free-floating aquatic animals that drift in water and feed on phytoplankton; key consumers; can be found in the pelagic realm

Temperate Zones

Earth regions between the tropics and the polar circles where climates are moderate, neither extreme heat nor polar cold, often associated with temperate biomes

Sustainability

the goal of developing, managing, and conserving Earth’s resources in ways that meet the needs of people today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

Greenhouse gases

gases in Earth's atmosphere (CO2, CH4 (methane), Water vapor) that absorb or reflect heat and contribute to increases in global temps

Greenhouse effect

the process by which greenhouse gases (like CO₂, CH₄, etc.) in Earth’s atmosphere absorb infrared radiation emitted by Earth's surface (which is warmed by sunlight), then re-radiate part of that heat back toward the surface, thereby trapping heat and warming the planet; natural and essential for human life, but increased due to human activities

Climate change

long-term changes in global or regional climate patterns often driven by increased greenhouse gases and other anthropogenic factors; influences ecosystems, species distribution, weather extremes, and more

Carbon footprint

the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by an individual, organization, event, product, or lifestyle; a measure of environmental impact in terms of emissions

The environmental movement

a social/political movement that uses knowledge (from ecology) to advocate for protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, reducing pollution, mitigating climate change, and promoting sustainability; unlike ecology, this is a movement telling people what they should do, not research.

Abiotic factor of sunlight/ solar radiation/ light availability

affects photosynthesis and photosynthetic organisms

Abiotic factor of temp of air/ water and climate

determines which species can survive; affect metabolism, breeding, and growth

Abiotic factor of soil/ nutrients/ chemical composition/ pH/ minerals

affects vegetation, phytoplankton productivity due to nutrient availability

Abiotic factor of Salinity

also affects which organisms can survive in aquatic environments; marine vs. estuarine vs. freshwater

Abiotic factor of oxygen availability or dissolved gases in water

levels of O2 can limit life

Ecology provides the context (environment and interaction, while evolution describes how organisms change over generations

How ecology and evolution are linked.

Adaptation is heritable changes across generations, thus evolutionary, while acclimation is physiological or behavioral adjustments on the individual level within a lifetime, which is not heritable

evolutionary adaptation vs acclimation.

Physiological adjustment

the way an organism acclimates to the environment, which includes changing metabolic rates, adjusting enzymes, and altering internal physiology so the organism can tolerate different temperatures, salinity, or oxygen levels

Behavioral adjustment

the way an organism acclimates to the environment, which includes moving to shade, burrowing, migratory changes, changing activity times, seeking water or shelter

Morphological or phenotypic plasticity

the way organisms acclimate to the environment includes changing body size/ shape, growing thicker fur, changing leaf color, and producing more or fewer pigments.

Freshwater biomes

salt concentration less than 1%; lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands; used for drinking, irrigation, sanitation, and industry; plants (aquatic plants, algae), phytoplankton, zooplankton, freshwater fish, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, freshwater macrophytes. Freshwater ecosystems often have high biodiversity, unique communities adapted to non-saline water, variable oxygen and temperature levels depending on depth, season, and flow.

Marine biomes

salt concentration around 3%; oceansintertidal zones and coral reefs; In the photic/neritic zones you commonly find phytoplankton (primary producers), zooplankton, small fish, marine algae, corals (in some regions), larger fish; in benthic realms — bottom-dwelling organisms (benthos), invertebrates, crustaceans, bottom fish, detritivores; in pelagic zones — open-ocean fish, jellyfish, plankton, migratory species, etc

Tropical Forests

near the equator; warm temp, high rainfall, dense multilayered vegetation; high biodiversity; many tree species, epiphytes, vines; many animals

Savannas

dominated by grasses and scattered trees, warm year-round; moderate rainfall (not enough for trees); large grazing animals (herbivores), many insects; fire caused by lightning or human activity is a big abiotic factor

Desert

driest; minimal rain; may be very hot or relatively cold; vegetation is water-storing plants or deeply rooted shrubs; animals are adapted to dryness (nocturnal, water conservation, including snakes, lizards, seed-eating rodents)

Chaparral

coastal areas; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers; vegetation adapted to fires caused by lightning

Temperate grasslands

mostly treeless; frequent droughts and periodic fires; grazers including bison, wild horses, birds that nest on the ground, burrow-digging animals

Temperate broadleaf forest

midlatitudes; large trees; relatively high precipitation; hot summers cold winters; characterized by deciduous trees (lose leaves seasonally); mammals that hibernate; invertebrates that live in soil

Coniferous forest/ Taiga

cone-bearing evergreen trees; cold climates, higher latitudes; cold often acidic soils; animals adapted to cold

Temperate rainforests

found along the coastal North America; also coniferous forests

Tundra

very cold polar regions; characterized by permafrost, bitter cold temps, high winds, little precipitation; small shrubs, grasses, mosses, lichen

global water cycle

Evaporation→ transpiration→condensation→precipitation→runoff and infiltration→groundwater flow/subsurface flow→repeat

Deforestation (reduces transpiration), Urbanization ( increases surface runoff), Water withdrawal for domestic use and industry (reduces freshwater availability), climate change (alters precipitation patterns)

human activity and how it alters the water cycle