Unit 2 Basic Ecology

Pertaining to factors or things that are separate and independent from living things; nonliving

Abiotic

The thin layer of gases surrounding Earth. Nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide are major gases, while many minor gases are also present in trace amounts.atoms

Atmosphere

The repeated pathway of particular nutrients or elements from the environment through one or more organisms and back to the environment. The cycles include the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorus cycle, and so on.

biogeochemical cycle

A group of ecosystems that are related by having a similar type of vegetation governed by similar climatic conditions. Examples include prairies, deciduous forests, arctic tundra, deserts, and tropical rain forests.

Biomes

The overall ecosystem of Earth. The sum total of all the biomes and smaller ecosystems, which ultimately are all interconnected and interdependent through global processes such as the water cycle and the atmospheric cycle.

Biosphere

All the living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) that live in a particular area.

Community

Abiotic factors (e.g., temperature) that vary in time and space but are not used up by organisms.

Conditions

The total of all the relationships that bear on how an organism copes with the biotic and abiotic factors it faces.

ecological niche

The study of all processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interactions between living things and their environment.

Ecology

An interactive complex of communities and the abiotic environment affecting them within a particular area. Ecosystems have characteristic forms, such as deserts, grasslands, tundra, deciduous forests, and tropical rain forests.

Ecosystem

The specific environment (woods, desert, swamp) in which an organism lives.

Habitat

The water on Earth, in all of its liquid and solid compartments: oceans, rivers, lakes, ice, and groundwater.

Hydrosphere

The law stating that a system may be limited by the absence or minimum amount (in terms of that needed) of any required factor. Also known as Liebig's law of minimums.

law of limiting factors

A factor primarily responsible for determining the growth or reproduction of an organism or a population.

limiting factor

The extremes of any factor (e.g., temperature) that an organism or a population can tolerate and still survive and reproduce.

limits of tolerance

The Earth's crust, made up of rocks and minerals.

Lithosphere

The condition or amount of any factor or combination of factors that will produce the best result. For example, the amount of heat, light, moisture, nutrients, and so on that will produce the best plant growth.

Optimum Range

A group within a single species whose individuals can and do freely interbreed.

Population

The range of conditions within which an organism or population can survive and

range of tolerance

Biotic and abiotic factors that are consumed by organisms.

Resources

All the organisms (plant, animal, or microbe) of a single kind. The "single kind" is determined by similarity of appearance or by the fact that members do or can mate and produce fertile offspring. Physical, chemical, or behavioral differences block breeding between species

Species

Where two or more factors interact to affect organisms in a way that makes the impact greater than from the two acting separately.

synergistic effects

Regions where a species finds conditions tolerable but suboptimal. The species survives but is under stress.

zones of stress

The chemical process that occurs in all living cells whereby organic compounds are broken down to release energy required for life processes. For respiration, higher plants and animals require oxygen, and release carbon dioxide and water as waste products, but certain microorganisms do not require oxygen.

cellular respiration

The potential energy that is contained in certain chemicals; most importantly, the energy that is contained in organic compounds such as food and fuels and that may be released through respiration or burning.

chemical energy

Any substance (gas, liquid, or solid) that is made up of two or more different kinds of atoms bonded together

Compound

In an ecosystem, those organisms that derive their energy from feeding on other organisms or their products.

Consumers

Organisms (fungi, soil insects, bacteria) that feed on dead or decaying organic matter, important in completing the breakdown of organic matter to inorganic constituents.

Detritivores

The dead organic matter, such as fallen leaves, twigs, and other plant and animal wastes, that exists in any ecosystem.

Detritus

In classifying chemical pollutants, some are inorganic, such as the heavy metals (lead, mercury and so forth) and salts.

Inorganic

The law stating that, in chemical reactions, atoms are neither created nor changed nor destroyed; they are only rearranged.

Law of Conservation of Matter

The smallest unit of two or more atoms forming a compound.

Molecule

The organic compounds that make up living organisms, to be distinguished from synthetic organic compounds, like plastics.

natural organic compounds

compound All chemical compounds or molecules, natural or synthetic, that contain carbon atoms as an integral part of their molecular structure.

Organic

The chemical process carried on by green plants through which light energy is used to produce glucose from carbon dioxide and water. Oxygen is released as a by-product.

Photosynthesis

In an ecosystem, those organisms (mostly green plants) that use light energy to construct their organic constituents from inorganic compounds.

Producers

the gaining of toxic chemicals in the body during the lifetime of an organism

Bioaccumulation

the gaining of toxic chemicals in the body of organisms as you go up the food chain

Biomagnification