Ecology Vocabulary

Flashcards of vocabulary words and definitions from Ecology notes.

Eco Niche

Unifying framework for limits on the persistence of organisms allowing for multiple conditions and/or resources = niche dimensions (niche axes).

N-dimensional hypervolume

Concept that organisms live inside this multi r and c limit distribution; Point size = species performance.

Fundamental niche

Complete hypervolume, full range of c and r combos where r≥0.

Realised niche

Occupied volume in the presence of competition and predators.

BAM framework

Biotic-Abiotic-Migration framework

Extremophile

Organism that grows optimally under one or more physical conditions.

Hyper acidophile pH level

pH < 3

Acidophile pH level

pH < 5

Neutrophile pH level

pH 5-9

Alkaliphile pH level

pH >9

Hyper alkaliphile pH level

pH > 11

Psychrophile Temp

< 15° c

Mesophile Temp

20-45°c

Thermophile Temp

45-80°c

Hyperthermophile Temp

80°c

Non halophile salinity

< 1.2%

Haloterant salinity

1.2 – 2.9%

Halophile salinity

8.8%

Extreme halophile salinity

14.5%

Piezo tolerant pressure

0.1 – 10 MPa

Piezophile pressure

10 – 50 MPa

Hyperpiezophile pressure

50 MPa

Xerophile water activity (aw)

< 0.7

Cryoprotectants

Glycerol (no ice crystals), extracelluar polysaccharide subs EPS)

Stabilising DNA

Reverse DNA gyrase = pos supercoils, DNA-binding proteins (archaeal histones)

Stabilising lipids

Dibiphytanyl tetraether lipids (archaea), bacterial diether lipids (stronger)

Bacteriorhodspodin

Growth in absence of water and dissolved O₂ (gives red/purple clolour, absorbs green light at 570nm)

Acidophiles

Cell walls contain acidic polymers

Alkaliphiles

Na+/H+ antiporter systems/ ATPase driven OH- expulsion

Density independent factors

Reduce/increase pop by same proportion, abiotic factors

Density dependent factors

Alter depending on pop dense, biotic factors

Survivorship curves type 1

High survival when young, die old

Survivorship curves type 2

Relatively constant death rate throughout life

Survivorship curves type 3

Large numbers of offspring die before maturity but a high rate of subsequent survival

Mutation accumulation hypothesis

Failure to repair due to accumulation of deleterious mutation, aging is not caused by cell and tissue damapge but failure to repair damage

Antagonistic pleiotropy hypo

Trade offs between repair and reproduction

Semelparity

Single repro event

Iteroparity

Multi repro events

R- selected species

Live fast, die young

K- selected species

Stable enviroments, steady resource turnover

Genets

Gen indi via sexual repro

Ramets

Asexually prod indis from same gen parent (eco importance)

Ubiquitous Species

Sps with broad, wide range made of many pops

Endemic Species

Range is narrow few pops

Phanerophytes

Dormant, bud branch into air

Chamaephytes

Bud surface of ground/ just above

Hemi – cryptophytes

Resting buds near soil surface

Cryptophytes

Resting buds under surf

Therophytes

Live in unfavourable

Allelopathy

Production of chem released by plants influe direct/indirectly the growth/development of neighb plnts.

At/de mechs

Antagonism at dist, hyphal interference, mycoparasitism, gross mycelial contact

Types of mycopara

Contact necrotrophy, Invasive necrotrophy, Intracellular biotroph, Haustorial biotrph, Fusion biotroph

Mycostasis

Majority of fungal spores fail to germinate, correlated with microbial activity

Holling type 1

Rigler (1961) linear increase in feeding with prey density until maxi, maxi is a limit

Holling type 2

Asymptotic relationship, density increase = increased consumption, rate of consumption slows as prey increase, pred take a certain amount of time, 1at availa of prey overriding time constraint, when easy to catch process time = more important constraint

Holling type 3

Sigmoidal relationship between prey dens and attack rate, low prey dens = host increase search effort, prey/host dens inrea, holling type 2 response results

SIR model

Susceptible, Infected, Recovered to model disease

Superficial fungal infection

No invasion of living tissue

Cutaneous fungal infection

Infections of hair, skin, or nails; no living tissue invasion, but allergic/inflammatory responses occur

Subcutaneous fungal infection

Chronic, localized infections following implantation of fungus

Systemic Dimorphic/True pathogen fungal infection

Can invade healthy hosts; primary site is usually pulmonary; Morphology differs inside and outside the host

Systemic Opportunistic fungal infection

Occur mainly in immunocompromised patients

Commensalism

(+,0): One benefits, the other unaffected.

Parasitism

(+,-): One benefits, the other harmed.

Facilitation

One organism benefits another (mutualism, commensalism).

Obligate

Species depends on symbiotic association.

Facultative

Species benefits but isn't dependent.

Bipartite Network

Network consisting of two sets of nodes, where interactions only occur between the two sets (e.g. plant-pollinator network).

AET

Actual Evapotranspiration: Joint indicator of microclimate (temperature, precipitation, latitude, soil water storage). Integrates multiple environmental factors.

Autochthonous

Produced by photosynthesis within an ecosystem.

Allochthonous

Imported from elsewhere.

nif

Nitrogenase gene in Nitrogen cycle

nxr

Nitrite oxidoreductase gene in Nitrogen cycle

amo

Ammonium monooxygenase gene in Nitrogen cycle

hao

Hydroxylamine oxidoreductase gene in Nitrogen cycle

nas, nar, nap

Nitrate reductase gene in Nitrogen cycle

nir

Nitrite reductase gene in Nitrogen cycle

nor

Nitric oxide reductase gene in Nitrogen cycle

nos

Nitrous oxide reductase gene in Nitrogen cycle

hh

Hydrazine hydrolase gene in Nitrogen cycle

hzo

Hydrazine dehydrogenase gene in Nitrogen cycle