Module 5

ecology

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

organismal ecology

the study of how an organism's structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by its environment (incl subdisciplines of physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary ecology)

population

group of individuals of the same species living in an area

population ecology

study of factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time

community

group of populations of different species in an area

community ecology

study of how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization

ecosystem

community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which those organisms interact

ecosystem ecology

study of energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment

landscape

(or seascape) a mosaic of connected ecosystems

landscape ecology

study of the factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems

biosphere

the global ecosystem - the sum of all the planet's ecosystems and landscapes

global ecology

study of how the regional exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere

climate

the long-term prevailing weather conditions at a given place

abiotic

non-living aspects of an environment

biotic

living aspects of an environment

climate change

a directional change in temperature, precipitation, or other aspect of the global climate that lasts for three decades or more

climograph

a plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region

biome

any of the world's major ecosystem types, often classified according to the predominant vegetation for terrestrial biomes and the physical environment for aquatic biomes and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment

aquatic biome

biomes in water

terrestrial biome

biomes on land

dispersal

the movement of individuals or gametes away form their parent location. This can sometimes expand the geographic range of a population or species

disturbance

a nature of human-caused event that changes a biological community and usually removes organisms from it.

density

the number of individuals per unit area or volume

immigration

the influx of new individuals into a population from other areas

emigration

the movement of individuals out of a population

demography

the study of changes over time in the vital statistics of populations, especially birth rates and death rates

life table

a summary of the age-specific survival and reproductive rates of individuals in a population

cohort

a group of individuals of the same age in a population

survivorship curve

A plot of the number of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality

exponential model

shows a population in an idealized, unlimited environment

logistic model

shows how a population grows more slowly as it nears its carrying capacity

intrinsic rate of increase (r)

the per capita rate at which an exponentially growing population increases in size at each instant in time

carrying capacity (K)

maximum number of individuals (N, population size) that can be supported by the available resources

life history

Traits that affect an organism's schedule of reproduction and survival.

semelparity

Reproduction in which an organism produces all of its offspring in a single event; also known as big-bang reproduction.

iterparity

Reproduce in which adults produce offspring over many years; also called repeated reproduction

K-selection

selection for life history traits that are sensitive to population density

r-selection

selection for life history traits that maximize reproductive success in uncrowded environments

density-dependent

Referring to any characteristic that varies according to an increase in population density.

density-independent

Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density.

population dynamics

The study of how complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influence variations in population size

age structure

the relative number of individuals of each stage in a population

ecological footprint

The aggregate land and water area required by a person, city, or nation to produce all of the resources it consumes and to absorb all of the wastes it generates.

interspecific interactions

A relationship between individuals of two or more species in a community

competition

A -/- interaction that occurs when individuals of different species both use a resource that limits the survival and reproduction of each species

competitive exclusion

The concept that when populations of two similar species compete for the same limited resources, one population will use the resources more efficiently and have a reproductive advantage that will eventually lead to the elimination of the other population.

ecological niche

the sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment

resource partitioning

The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species

character displacement

The tendency for characteristics to be more divergent in sympatric populations of two species than in allopatric populations of the same two species.

exploitation

A +/- ecological interaction in which individuals of one species benefit by feeding on (and thereby harming) individuals of the other species (predation, herbivory, parasitism)

herbivory

A +/- interaction in which an herbivore eats parts of a plant or alga

predation

A +/- interaction in which the individual of one species, the predator, kills and eats an individual of the other species, the prey

parasitism

A +/- ecological interaction in which one organism, the parasite, benefits by feeding upon another organism, the host, which is harmed

positive interactions

+/+ or +/0 interactions

mutualism

A +/+ interaction that benefits individuals of both interacting species

commensalism

A +/0 interaction that benefits one species but neither harms nor helps the other species

species diversity

The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.

species richness

The number of species in a biological community.

relative abundance

The proportional abundance of different species in a community.

biomass

the total mass of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a particular habitat

trophic structure

The different feeding relationships in an ecosystem, which determine the route of energy flow and the pattern of chemical cycling

food chain

the pathway along which food energy is transferred from trophic level to trophic level, beginning with producers

food web

the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem

keystone species

A species that is not necessarily abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on community structure by the nature of its ecological role or niche.

bottom-up controls

Nutrient supply or the availability of food at lower trophic levels limits the abundance of organisms at higher trophic levels

top-down controls

The abundance of organisms at higher trophic levels controls the abundance of organisms at lower trophic levels

intermediate disturbance hypothesis

The concept that moderate levels of disturbance can foster greater species diversity than low or high levels of disturbance.

Ecological succession

transition in the species composition of a community following a disturbance; establishment of a community in an area virtually barren of life

primary ecological succession

A type of ecological succession that occurs in an area where there were originally no organisms present and where soil has not yet formed

secondary ecological succession

A type of succession that occurs where an existing community has been cleared by some disturbance that leaves the soil intact.

Law of Conservation of Mass

Matter is not created nor destroyed in any chemical or physical change

primary production

The amount of light energy converted to chemical energy (organic compounds) by autotrophs in an ecosystem during a given time period

primary producer

An autotroph, usually a photosynthetic organism. Collectively, autotrophs make up the trophic level of an ecosystem that ultimately supports all other levels.

primary consumer

An herbivore; an organism that eats plants or other autotrophs.

secondary consumer

A carnivore that eats primary consumers

tertiary consumer

A carnivore that eats secondary consumers

Decomposer

an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.

detritus

Dead organic matter

gross primary production (GPP)

The total primary production of an ecosystem.

net primary production (NPP)

the gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by the producers for respiration.

limiting nutrient

An element that must be added for production to increase in a particular area.

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 or cyanobacteria.

secondary production

the amount of chemical energy in food converted to new biomass during a given period of time

production efficiency

the percentage of energy stored in assimilated food that is not used for respiration or eliminated as waste

trophic efficiency

the percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level

biogeochemical cycles

any of the various chemical cycles, which involve both biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems

Bioremediation

The use of living organisms to detoxify and restore polluted and degraded ecosystems

conservation biology

The integrated study of ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, molecular biology, and genetics to sustain biological diversity at all levels.

genetic diversity

genetic variation within a population and between populations

endangered species

species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range

threatened species

A species that is considered likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.

ecosystem diversity

the variety of ecosystems within a given region

ecosystem services

A function performed by an ecosystem that directly or indirectly benefits humans.

introduced species

A species moved by humans, either intentionally or accidentally, from its native location to a new geographic region; also called non-native or exotic species.

invasive species

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

biodiversity hot spot

A relatively small area with numerous endemic species and a large number of endangered and threatened species.

urban ecology

the study of organisms and their environment in urban and suburban settings

microplastics

plastic particles smaller than 5mm - produced from the breakdown of larger material. It has contaminated EVERYTHING

greenhouse effect

The warming of earth due to the atmospheric accumulation and certain other gases, which absorb reflected infrared radiation and reradiate some of it back toward earth

sustainable development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.