Ecology All Terms - LS2 - 1, 5, 7

Abiotic

Non-living physical and chemical elements in an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, wind patterns, and minerals.

Abundance

A very large quantity of something.

Acidification

The process of increasing the acidity of a substance or environment, often referring to the ocean's pH level decreasing due to the absorption of carbon dioxide.

Anthropogenic

Originating from human activity.

Atmosphere

The gaseous layer surrounding a planet, such as Earth, that is held in place by gravity.

Autotroph

An organism that can produce its own food using energy from sunlight or inorganic substances. Examples include plants and algae.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biomass

The total mass of living organisms in a given area or ecosystem, often referring to plant material that can be used as a renewable energy source.

Biome

A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest, tundra, or desert.

Biosphere

The regions of the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere where living organisms exist.

Biotic

Living elements in an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.

Captive breeding

The breeding of wild animals in controlled environments, such as zoos or wildlife reserves, with the aim of reintroducing them into the wild.

Carbon cycle

The continuous movement of carbon through Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere, involving processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Inorganic carbon form found in the atmosphere.

Carbon fixation

The process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is converted into organic compounds by autotrophic organisms during photosynthesis.

Carbon reservoir

A place or medium that stores carbon, such as the atmosphere, oceans, or fossil fuels.

Carbon sink

A natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases, helping to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size of a species that a particular environment can sustain indefinitely.

Chloroplast

A specialized organelle found in plant cells where photosynthesis takes place, containing chlorophyll and other pigments.

Climate

The long-term average of weather conditions, including temperature and precipitation, in a particular region.

Climate change

Long-term shifts in temperature, precipitation patterns, and other aspects of the Earth's climate system, primarily caused by human activities.

Combustion

The process of burning a fuel, releasing heat, light, and various combustion products, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

Community

All the different species that live together in a habitat.

Competition

The struggle between organisms for limited resources, such as food, space, or light.

Conservation

The preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife.

Constraints

Limitations or restrictions.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms or organic matter. They are also known as heterotrophs and include animals and fungi.

Criteria

Standards or principles by which something is judged or decided.

Decomposition

The breakdown of organic matter into simpler forms, usually carried out by bacteria, fungi, and other decomposers.

Deforestation

The removal of trees and forests, often to make space for agriculture or urban development.

Density

Number of individuals per unit area.

Density dependent factors

A factor whose effects on the size or growth of a population vary with the population density.

Density-independent

Factors that affect the population regardless of its density, such as natural disasters or severe climate events.

Disease

An abnormal state in which the body is not functioning normally.

Disturbance

An event or change that disrupts an ecosystem or community, such as a wildfire, flood, or human activity.

Ecological restoration

The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Ecosystem diversity

The variety of different ecosystems within a particular area.

Ecotourism

Tourism directed towards exotic, often threatened, natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.

Endangered species

Species that are in danger of extinction.

Energy

The capacity to do work or produce heat.

Environment

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates; includes both biotic and abiotic factors.

Equilibrium

A state of balance.

Exponential growth

Population growth that is unhindered because of the abundance of resources for an ever-increasing population.

Extinction

A term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals.

Fluctuation

Rise and fall, continual variation in an ecosystem.

Fossil fuel

A natural fuel formed from the remains of living organisms, such as coal, oil, or natural gas.

Generation

A group of people born around the same time.

Genetic diversity

The variety of genes within a particular species or population.

Geosphere

The solid part of the Earth, including the rocks, minerals, and landforms.

Glucose/sugar

Organic carbon that is created through photosynthesis.

Greenhouse gas

A gas that traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Habitat

The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Habitat destruction

The process by which natural habitat is rendered incapable of supporting its native species.

Habitat fragmentation

The breaking up of a habitat into smaller fragments, usually due to human activities like agriculture and urban development.

Habitat restoration

The process of returning a natural environment to a state more closely resembling its original condition.

Heterotroph

An organism that obtains its energy by consuming other organisms or organic matter.

Human impact

The effect of human activities on the environment.

Human population growth

The increase in the number of individuals in a human population.

Hydrocarbons

Organic compounds composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms, commonly found in fossil fuels.

Hydrosphere

The water on or near the Earth's surface, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater.

Invasive species

Species that are non-native to a specific location, and which cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health upon introduction.

Iterative

A process that repeats, with each repetition building on or refining the results of the previous one.

Limiting factor

Environmental factors that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population within an ecosystem.

Limiting resource

A resource that a population cannot live without and that occurs in quantities lower than the population would require to increase in size.

Logistic growth

Population growth that is controlled by limited resources.

Methane

A greenhouse gas and the main component of natural gas.

Microbes

Microscopic organisms, such as bacteria or viruses.

Mitochondrion

An organelle in cells that generates energy through cellular respiration.

Molecule

A group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest unit of a chemical compound.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.

Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment – how it meets its needs for food, shelter, and reproduction.

Ocean uptake

The process by which the ocean absorbs or takes in substances, such as gases or nutrients.

Optimize

To make the best or most effective use of a resource or situation.

Organic matter

Material derived from living organisms, often found in soil or as decaying plant and animal remains.

Overharvesting

Removing more animals or plants from their habitat than can be replenished naturally.

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms where one benefits at the expense of the other.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms convert light energy into chemical energy, producing oxygen and glucose.

Phytoplankton

Microscopic aquatic organisms, such as algae, that carry out photosynthesis and form the base of the food chain in aquatic ecosystems.

Pollution

The presence or introduction of harmful substances or contaminants into the environment, causing damage.

Population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.

Population growth model

Mathematical models that predict how a population will change.

Predation

An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism.

Producers

Organisms, including plants and algae, that can produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Reaction

A process that involves a chemical change or transformation, often resulting in the formation of new substances.

Respiration

The process by which organisms convert oxygen and glucose into carbon dioxide, water, and energy, typically through cellular respiration.

Sedimentation

The settling or deposition of particles, such as mud, sand, or silt, in a liquid or on a surface.

Solution

A means of solving a problem or dealing with a challenging situation.

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

Species diversity

The number of different species and the abundance of each species within a community.

Stability

The ability of an ecosystem to return to its original state after being disturbed.

Sustainable

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

Sustainable development

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

Symbiosis

A relationship between two or more organisms that live closely together. It can be mutualistic, parasitic, or commensal.

Transpiration

The process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves.

Trend

A pattern of change over time.