ENVS 200 Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from lectures on ecology, evolution and aquatic systems.

Ecology

From Greek oikos (house) + logos (study) → the study of Earth's environmental household, it is the scientific study of the relationships between organisms and their environment.

Empirical

Based on observations and experiments.

Skeptical

Questions existing knowledge.

Dynamic

Continuously evolving with new discoveries.

Reliable

Builds upon peer-reviewed research.

Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

Offers valuable insights through long-term observation and interaction with the environment.

Field Ecology

Focuses on direct observation of organisms in their natural habitats.

Organism

Individual living entity.

Population

Group of individuals of the same species in an area.

Community

Different populations interacting in a shared environment.

Ecosystem

Community plus the abiotic (non-living) environment.

Biosphere

All ecosystems on Earth.

Biological Species Concept

A group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Ecosystem Functions

Natural processes like photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, and decomposition.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits humans derive from ecosystems, such as clean water, pollination, and climate regulation.

Planetary Boundaries

Concept that Earth has limits to the amount of environmental change it can absorb.

Abiotic factor

Conditions (can’t be consumed): temperature, pH, salinity.

Resources (ecology)

Resources (can be consumed): water, nutrients, sunlight.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Total energy captured.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

GPP - respiration = energy available for growth.

Habitat

Physical location (e.g., grassland, forest).

Niche

Functional role + environmental conditions needed by a species.

Fundamental niche

Where a species could live without competition.

Realized niche

Where a species actually lives (after competition and constraints).

Biomes

Large ecological zones defined by temperature + precipitation.

Evolution

A change in the genetic composition of a population over time.

Heritability

Traits are heritable

Differential Reproduction

More suited individuals reproduce more

Micro-evolution

Changes within a population.

Macro-evolution

Speciation, new species form.

Allopatric speciation

Geographic isolation causes divergence.

Sympatric speciation

Reproductive isolation without physical barriers.

Adaptation

A trait shaped by natural selection that improves survival/reproduction.

Aposematism

Bright coloration as a warning.

Batesian mimicry

Harmless mimics harmful

Müllerian mimicry

Two harmful species evolve similar warning patterns.

Convergent Evolution

Similar environments = similar adaptations, even in unrelated species.

Homologous traits

Shared ancestry.

Analogous traits

Similar function, evolved separately.

Synanthropic traits

Benefit from humans.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species in a defined area.

Metapopulations

Populations divided into subpopulations across a landscape.

Food Chain

Linear pathway (e.g., Producer → Herbivore → Carnivore).

Food Web

Network of feeding relationships

Guilds

Organisms that use the same resource in similar ways.

Decomposers

Convert detritus (dead material) into nutrients.

Bioaccumulation

Build-up of toxins in a single organism over time.

Biomagnification

Increase in toxin concentration up the food chain.

Direct effect

One species directly impacts another.

Indirect effect

Affects species via intermediaries.

Top-down control

Predators suppress herbivores → plants thrive.

Bottom-up control

Plant availability shapes the whole system.

1st Law of Thermodynamics

Energy can’t be created/destroyed, only transformed.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Entropy increases: Energy becomes less usable (mostly lost as heat).

Grazing chain

Based on live plants.

Detrital chain

Based on dead organic matter (DOM).

River Continuum Concept

Streams differ in stream order, input type, oxygen, nutrient, and temperature levels

Migration

Large-scale directional movement.