Introduction to Ecology - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms from the Introduction to Ecology lecture notes.

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Biotic factors

Living components of an ecosystem (plants, animals, bacteria).

Abiotic factors

Non-living components of an environment (water, soil, sunlight, temperature).

Producers

Organisms that create energy through photosynthesis (e.g., plants).

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by eating plants or other animals.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down organic material and recycle nutrients (e.g., fungi).

Energy flow

The passage of energy through producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem.

Trophic levels

Levels in an ecosystem's energy pyramid: producers, primary, secondary, tertiary consumers.

Food chain

A linear sequence showing who eats whom in an ecosystem.

Food web

A network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

Habitat

The place where an organism lives, providing food, shelter, and mates.

Niche

The role an organism plays in its community and how it interacts with the environment.

Ecosystem

A community plus its abiotic environment, with energy flow and nutrient cycling.

Population Ecology

Study of populations of a species, their growth, and interactions (e.g., predator-prey).

Community Ecology

Study of interactions among different species within a shared environment.

Ecosystem Ecology

Study of energy flow and nutrient cycling within ecosystems.

Landscape Ecology

Study of large-scale patterns and processes across ecosystems (e.g., urbanization).

Global Ecology

Study of ecological processes on a global scale (e.g., climate change impacts).

Interdisciplinary nature of Ecology

Ecology intersects with biology, geography, chemistry, physics, and social sciences.

Human Ecology

Study of the relationship between humans and their environment (e.g., urban planning).

Behavioral Ecology

Study of how behavior affects survival and reproduction (e.g., migration patterns).

Applied Ecology

Addresses practical problems like conservation and resource management (e.g., wildlife corridors).

Biodiversity

Variety of life in an area; essential for ecosystem resilience and function.

Keystone species

Species with a disproportionate impact on its environment and ecosystem structure.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits provided by ecosystems, categorized as provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

GPP (Gross Primary Productivity)

Total energy captured by producers via photosynthesis.

NPP (Net Primary Productivity)

Energy remaining after plants use some for respiration.

Carrying capacity

Maximum population size an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Succession

Gradual change in ecosystem structure and species composition over time.

Nutrient cycles

Cyclic movement of nutrients (water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) within ecosystems.

Water cycle

Movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Carbon cycle

Circulation of carbon among atmosphere, organisms, oceans, and Earth; includes fossil fuels.

Nitrogen cycle

Cycle involving nitrogen fixation, assimilation, decomposition, and denitrification.

Phosphorus cycle

Cycle involving weathering of rocks, plant uptake, and decomposition returning phosphorus to soil.

Ecosystem productivity

Rate at which an ecosystem accumulates energy into biomass; influenced by climate and soil.

Ecosystem Services categories

Provisioning (goods), Regulating (climate/floods), Cultural (recreation), Supporting (nutrient cycling).