Introduction to Ecology

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the 'Introduction to Ecology' lecture, including definitions of ecology, levels of ecological organization, climate vs. weather, major biomes, and components of aquatic environments.

Ecology

The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms, and their interactions with the environment.

Oikos

Greek word meaning 'house,' part of the origin of the word 'ecology.'

Logos

Greek word meaning 'to study,' part of the origin of the word 'ecology.'

Equilibrium Paradigm (in ecology)

The idea that natural ecosystems are usually in a state of equilibrium and will return to equilibrium if disturbed.

Levels of Organization (in ecology)

The different scales at which ecologists study interactions, including individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems.

Evelyn Pielou

An influential ecologist who brought a mathematical modeling approach to the study of ecology at the levels of populations and communities.

Individuals (ecology)

Single, discrete organisms.

Organismal Ecology

The study of how a single organism finds its way or interacts with its environment.

Populations

Groups of organisms of the same species living in the same place and interacting with one another.

Communities

Assemblages of populations of different species living in the same place.

Ecosystems

Interacting assemblages of living things in a particular area, including nonliving components like light, water, nutrients, soil, and seasonality.

Replication (scientific method)

The importance of conducting multiple similar experimental treatments to ensure reliable results.

Ecological Time Scale

Time scales ranging from days to millennia over which ecological processes occur, generally shorter than the evolutionary time scale.

Weather

The particular set of abiotic conditions, such as rainfall, sunlight, temperature, and humidity, affecting a particular area at a particular time.

Climate

The overall pattern of weather in an area, changing over decades, hundreds, or thousands of years.

Alexander von Humboldt

An early explorer and naturalist who promoted a view of the living world as a holistic system with interconnected components.

Biomes

Broad assemblages of plant and animal communities generally defined by the dominant vegetation.

Major Physical Factors Influencing Terrestrial Biomes

Rainfall (and its timing), Sunlight, and Disturbance.

Hadley Cells

Global circulation cells where rising air at the solar equator sheds moisture, and as it descends, creates dry zones near 30 degrees North and South latitudes.

Tundra

A terrestrial biome characterized by the lack of trees, dominant vegetation of lichens, annual grasses, and specialized shrubs, occurring in polar climates and high elevations with short growing seasons.

Taiga (Coniferous Forest)

A terrestrial biome dominated by cone-bearing trees (pine, spruce, fir), common in high latitudes or elevations, with cool to warm summers and cold, snowy winters.

Desert

A terrestrial biome characterized by low rainfall (generally less than 30cm per year), which can be hot or cold and often has a dramatic difference in temperature between day and night.

Grasslands

A terrestrial biome dominated by grasses and forbs, where fire and grazing prevent the establishment of shrubs and trees, with moderate to low rainfall and a wide range of temperatures.

Temperate Deciduous Forests

A terrestrial biome with moderate rainfall, mild to warm summers, and cool to cold winters, occurring at mid-latitudes and dominated by dense stands of deciduous trees.

Tropical Rain Forests

The most productive and biodiverse terrestrial biome, located near the equator with warm, constant temperatures, high rainfall, and dominated by broad-leafed evergreen trees and epiphytes.

Epiphytes

Plants that live on other plants, usually trees, examples include orchids and mistletoe.

Intertidal Zone

An oceanic region where ocean meets land, in the area between high and low tide, supporting many specially-adapted organisms.

Wetlands

Areas covered in water that support aquatic plants, ranging from periodically flooded regions to permanently flooded areas.

Estuaries

Wetlands that occur at the mouths of rivers.

Swamps

Flooded wetland areas dominated by trees.

Marshes

Flooded wetland areas dominated by sedges and grasses.

Bogs

Wetlands with distinctive vegetation because their soil is very acidic.

Fens

Wetlands with distinctive vegetation because their soil is very alkali.

Pelagic Zone

The upper part of the open ocean where light penetrates, characterized by low nutrient concentrations and photosynthetic algae as major producers.

Abyssal Zone

The deep part of the open ocean where light is absent, supporting a wide variety of specially-adapted organisms that receive nutrients from falling dead organisms.

Open Ocean Gyres

Vast oceanic areas with low productivity per unit area and low biodiversity due to limited nutrients at the photosynthetic zone, but supporting specially adapted organisms.

Anthromes (Anthropogenic Biomes)

Human-dominated ecosystems that reflect the previously existing biome but have been converted or modified to varying degrees (e.g., grazed grassland, cropland, cityscape).