Biology - Ecology terms

5.0(1)
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Card Sorting

1/76

flashcard set

Earn XP

Description and Tags

IB Biology ecology terms

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

77 Terms

1
New cards

Properties of oxygen

Present as a diatomic molecule, very reactive, is the basis of a majority of biological respiratory processes

2
New cards

Why can’t anaerobic microbes survive in oxygen?

They do not have the required enzymes to detoxify oxygen radicals.

3
New cards

End with -ase

Enzymes

4
New cards

Superoxide dismutase

An enzyme that transforms oxygen radicals into Water and Oxygen

5
New cards

Catalase

An enzyme that breaks down Hydrogen peroxide to Water and Oxygen
H2O2 - H2O + O2

6
New cards

Thermophiles

Organisms that thrive in areas with high temperatures

7
New cards

Aerobic respiration

Respiration that requires oxygen to break down glucose

8
New cards

Anaerobic respiration

Respiration that does not use oxygen as an electron carrier

9
New cards

Thioglycolate broth

Medium of growth for bacterium that is rich in glycolates

10
New cards

Microaerophiles

Aerobes that produce ATP via aerobic respiration / fermentation. Requires between 5 - 15% atmospheric oxygen for growth

11
New cards

Aerotolerant Anaerobe

Produces ATP via anaerobic respiration, and can conduct fermentation. O2 can be present, but is not used for respiration.

12
New cards

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

13
New cards

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot make their own food and rely on other organisms (plants and animals) for nutrition

14
New cards

Oxygen radicals

Molecules containing oxygen that have 1 unpaired valence electron - very reactive

15
New cards

Halophiles

Organisms that thrive in areas with high salinity

16
New cards

Decomposers

Organisms that feed off of dead matter, and help break down organic into their basic chemical compositions

17
New cards

Ecosystem

The culmination of abiotic and biotic factors working in tandem to make a community of living organisms.

18
New cards

Habitat

A geological area with biotic and abiotic factors suited to an organism’s traits

19
New cards

Niche

What the organism’s role in an ecosystem is

20
New cards

Fundamental niche

An organism’s predicted role in an ecosystem - what it ideally would occupy

21
New cards

Realised niche

The role that an organism actually occupies in any given ecosystem / community

22
New cards

Specialist species

Species that are reliant on specific biotic or abiotic factors

23
New cards

Generalist species

Species that have no preference, and are adapted to suit a majority of biotic / abiotic factors.

24
New cards

Adaptive radiation

When a speciation occurs, species from a common ancestor start divulging in variety, and more and more different variants appear.

25
New cards

Range of tolerance

The measurement of intensity in abiotic factors before the species is unable to survive.

26
New cards

Obligate anaerobes

Prokaryotic organisms that are poisoned by O2 and use fermentation / anaerobic respiration

27
New cards

Obligate aerobes

Prokaryotic organisms that require O2 for cellular respiration.

28
New cards

Facultative anarerobes

Uses both aerobic and anaerobic respiration - prefers aerobic respiration.

29
New cards

Types of nutrition

Autotrophic (Photosynthesis, Chemosynthesis), Heterotrophic (Holozoic, Saprotrophic, Parasitic)

30
New cards

Photosynthetic nutrition

Production of ATP through photons from light

31
New cards

Holozoic nutrition

Nutrition taken into the organism, and internally digested

32
New cards

Mixotrophic

Can use either autotrophic or heterotrophic methods of nutrition intake

33
New cards

Saprotrophic

Organisms that externally secrete enzymes to digest food, then take in the broken down molecules - Feeds on organic matter

34
New cards

Competitive exclusion principle - Gause’s law

If two species occupy the same niche, one species will eventually outcompete the other, and the other will die off

35
New cards

Niche partitioning

When two species occupy the same niche, but have evolved to occupy different areas and can co-exist

36
New cards

Spatial niche partitioning

Organisms live in the same niche, but different space

37
New cards

Temporal niche partitioning

Organisms live in the same niche, but are active at different times - different mice are awake during different times of the day.

38
New cards

Species pool

The total amount of species in any given area

39
New cards

Species sorting

The distribution of a species is dependent on the biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem

40
New cards

Intraspecies

Inside a species

41
New cards

Interspecies

Between species

42
New cards

What information do niche relationships provide?

Community structure: Total community niche space, Niche overlap, and Niche breadth of individual species

43
New cards

Characteristics of high species diversity

Lots of species due to weaker competition and lots of resources.

44
New cards

Ecological equivalents

Species that live in different geographic locations but have the same ecological niche

45
New cards

Species exclusion

When two species coexist, one species is always better adapted, and will lead to the other one dying out

46
New cards

How do species control competitors?

Avoidance or Predation

47
New cards

What happens in separate niches?

Species do not interfere with each other

48
New cards

What happens in slightly overlapping niches?

Niche partitioning and competition

49
New cards

What happens in slightly overlapping niches after niche partitioning?

Less competition, speciation into two separate niches

50
New cards

What happens when niches overlap too much?

Gause’s law / Competitive exclusion principle occurs - one species dies out.

51
New cards

Outcomes of competitive exclusion

One species goes extinct, and/or niche is divided, and species divulges further.

52
New cards

Total exclusion

When species A has a bigger niche than species B - leads to A being generalist and B being specialist

53
New cards

Competitive release

Species expands their niches in response to removal of a competitor

54
New cards

Detrivores

Organisms that feed on detritus - organic matter like soil.

55
New cards

Osmotrophy

Taking up dissolved substances

56
New cards

Phagotrophic

Engulfing bacteria and other cells as particulate prey

57
New cards

Auxotrophic

Algae that are unable to synthesize essential components such as the vitamins of the B12 complex / fatty acids and must import them

58
New cards

Types of herbivores

Grazers, Browsers, Granivores, Frugivores, Nectivores, Phloem feeders

59
New cards

Grazers

Herbivores that feed on leaf tissue

60
New cards

Browsers

Herbivores that feed on wood tissue

61
New cards

Granivores

Herbivores that feed on seeds

62
New cards

Frugivores

Herbivores that feed on fruit

63
New cards

Nectivores

Herbivores that feed on nectar

64
New cards

Phloem feeders

Herbivores that feed on sap

65
New cards

Plant apparency

Plants avoid herbivory by decreasing apparency in spatial / temporal refuges

66
New cards

Endophytes

Symbiotic plant prokaryotes

67
New cards

Elemental defenses

Inorganic chemical defences that must be concentrated from environment

68
New cards

Positive tropism

Movement of a plant towards a stimulus

69
New cards

Negative tropism

Movement of a plant away from a stimulus

70
New cards

Geotropism

Growth in response to gravity

71
New cards

Phototropism

Growht in response to light

72
New cards

Thigmotropism

Growth in response to touch

73
New cards

Thermotropism

Growth in response to heat

74
New cards

Hydrotropism

Growth in response to water

75
New cards

Chemotropism

Growth in response to chemical stimuli

76
New cards

Epiphytes

Commensalistic plants that live on trees

77
New cards

Shade tolerant / avoiding plants

Plants that can / ‘t survive in shade