unit 1 vocabulary

includes: - terrestrial and aquatic biomes - introduction to ecosystems - carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus cycles - interactions between organisms

biotic

biotic

living organisms and factors in an ecosystem

abiotic

nonliving factors in an ecosystem

competitive interaction

relationship in which both organisms are negatively affected

exploitative interaction

relationship in which one species benefits and the other is harmed

mutualistic interaction

relationship in which both organisms benefit

predatory interaction

relationship in which one organism hunts and eats another

parasitic interaction

relationship in which one organism depends on another organism for a benefit (called a host)

herbivory interaction

a relationship in which one organism feeds on a plant

intraspecific competition

competition between members of the same species

interspecific competition

competition between members of two or more species

competitive exclusion

one species completely excluding another from access to a resource

species coexistence

two or more species living side by side; neither excluding the other from access to resources

resource partitioning

process by which species use different resources or share a resource in a way that is effective for each species

exploitative interaction

relationship in which one member exploits the other for its own gain (e.g. predation, parasitism)

pathogens

parasites that cause disease

coevolution

process in which hosts and parasites adapt at a similar rate

symbiosis

mutualism in which the organisms live in close physical contact

community

a group of populations living in the same place at the same time

trophic level

an organism’s rank in the feeding hierarchy

autotrophs/producers

organisms that use photosynthesis to produce their own food

primary consumers

organisms that consume producers

secondary consumers

organisms that prey on primary consumers

tertiary consumers

predators at the highest trophic level; consume secondary consumers

detritivores

consume food from waste products or dead bodies

decomposers

break down leaf litter or other nonliving material into simpler chemicals that can be used by plants

food chain

a linear series of feeding relationships

food web

a visual map of feeding relationships and energy flow; contains multiple food chains

keystone species

a species that has a far-reaching impact on its ecosystem far out of proportion to its abundance

trophic cascade

phenomenon in which predators at high trophic levels indirectly affect populations at low trophic levels

disturbances

event that causes rapid changes that alter the community/ecosystem

resistance

when a community of organisms resists change and perseveres through a disturbance

resilience

when a community changes in response to a disturbance, but later returns to its original state

succession

the predictable series of changes in a community following a disturbance

primary succession

disturbance removes all vegetation and soil life

pioneer species

the first species to appear in a primary succession area

secondary succession

a disturbance that dramatically alters, but does not destroy, all local organisms

climax community

community that remains in place with few changes until another disturbance restarts succession

phase/regime shift

occurs when the overall character of the community fundamentally changes

invasive species

non-native organisms that spread widely and become dominant in a community

introduced species

species that were deliberately or accidentally brought in from elsewhere

biome

major regional complex of similar communities

climatograph

a climate diagram showing an area’s mean monthly temperature and precipitation

rainshadow effect

a phenomenon in which air going over a mountain releases moisture on one side, creating an arid region on the other side

feedback loop

circular process in which a system’s output also serves as its input

negative feedback loop

system changes and moves in one direction; input moves the system in the other direction

positive feedback loop

system output causes system to change in the same way; drives it further towards one extreme or another

dynamic equilibrium

when system processes move in opposing directions; balancing their effects

homeostasis

when a system maintains stable internal conditions

emergent properties

system characteristics that are not evident in the components alone

runoff

precipitation that flows over land and enters waterways

airshed

a geographic area that produces air pollutants likely to end up in waterways

lithosphere

the part of the earth that is rock and sediment

atmosphere

the air that surrounds earth

hydrosphere

the liquid, solid, or vapor water on earth

biosphere

the planet’s biotic and abiotic portions

ecosystem

all organisms and abiotic factors that occur and interact in a particular area at the same time

primary production

conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in sugars by autotrophs

gross primary production

total amount of energy captured by autotrophs

net primary production

energy remaining after respiration; used to generate biomass

secondary production

biomass generated by heterotrophs from consuming autotrophs

productivity

rate at which ecosystems generate biomass

ecotones

transitional zones between two ecosystems

metapopulation

network of separated subpopulations each occupying a patch in a mosaic

pools/reservoirs

place where nutrients reside for varying amounts of time

flux

the rate at which materials move between pools

source

a pool that releases more nutrients than it accepts

sink

a pool that accepts more resources than it releases

hydrologic cycle

summarizes how all forms of water move throughout the environment

evaporation

process by which water moves from aquatic and land systems into the atmosphere

transpiration

process by which water vapor is released from plants

precipitation

water returning to earth as rain or snow and flowing into bodies of water

groundwater

water found underground beneath layers of soil

aquifers

reservoirs of groundwater found in spongy regions of rock and soil

water table

the upper limit of groundwater in an aquifer

carbon cycle

describes the route of carbon atoms through the environment

nitrogen cycle

describes the route of nitrogen atoms through the environment

nitrification

process by which bacteria convert ammonium ions into nitrite ions and then nitrate ions

denitrification

process by which bacteria convert soil or water-dwelling nitrates to nitrogen gas and release it back into the atmosphere

bottleneck

limiting factor

haber-bosch process

production of fertilizers by combining nitrogen and hydrogen to synthesize ammonia

phosphorus cycle

describes the routes that phosphorus atoms take throughout the environment

plankton

small, free-floating, or weakly swimming organisms

nekton

large, independent swimmers

benthos

non-moving or seldom-moving bottom dwellers

littoral zone

part of a body of water nearest to the shore

limnetic zone

an open water area too deep for vegetation to survive

profundal zone

area of a body of water that is cold and aphotic

floodplains

areas that are flooded frequently and contain lots of soil deposits

tidal flats

saltwater wetland areas that are continually covered and uncovered by the tides

coastal lagoons

saltwater pools that are separated from the ocean by sandbanks or coral reefs

estuaries

partially enclosed bodies of water where river water and sea water mix (creating brackish water)

deltas

landforms at river mouths formed by deposited sediment

intertidal zone

zone that alternates from submerged during high tide to dry during low tide

coastal zone

a shallow sea ecosystem immediately above the continental shelf

open ocean

all areas beyond the continental shelf