Ecological Organization, Cycles, Energy Flow, Interactions, Population Dynamics, Succession, and Engineering Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering all major concepts, definitions, and ecological mechanisms from Biology sources 1 through 5.

Amylase

An enzyme that breaks down starch into maltose, functioning best at an optimal $\text{pH } 7$ and performing poorly at $\text{pH } 2$ due to becoming denatured.

Organism

One individual living thing.

Population

Members of the same species living in one area.

Community

All interacting populations in an area.

Ecosystem

Living organisms plus the nonliving environment.

Biome

A large region defined by climate and characteristic communities.

Biosphere

All places on Earth where life exists.

Evaporation

The process during the water cycle where water changes from liquid to vapor.

Condensation

The process during the water cycle where water vapor cools and forms droplets.

Precipitation

The process where water falls to Earth's surface.

Photosynthesis

The process where plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Cellular Respiration

The process where organisms return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Nitrogen Fixation

The process where bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into a form usable by organisms.

Eutrophication

The ecological process triggered when excess nitrogen and phosphorus enter a lake, resulting in an algal bloom, death of organisms, decreased oxygen, and loss of fish.

Greenhouse Gas

An atmospheric gas, such as carbon dioxide, that can absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.

Combustion

A form of burning fossil fuels that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Autotrophs / Producers

Organisms that make their own food, receiving their initial energy from the Sun.

Primary Consumers

Organisms that eat producers.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead material and return all nutrients to the soil and atmosphere.

Trophic Energy Loss

The decline of energy as it moves to higher trophic levels, where energy is lost as heat and approximately $90\%$ is lost at each trophic transfer.

Mutualism

A species interaction represented by $(+/+)$, where both organisms benefit (such as a bee getting nectar while pollinating a flower).

Commensalism

A species interaction represented by $(+/0)$, where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected (such as an epiphyte getting support from a tree).

Parasitism

A species interaction represented by $(+/-)$, where one organism benefits while harming the host (such as a tick obtaining food from a dog).

Predation

A species interaction represented by $(+/-)$, where one organism catches and eats another (such as a hawk catching and eating a mouse).

Competition

A species interaction represented by $(-/-)$, where both organisms are negatively affected when competing for limited resources like sunlight.

Population Size

The total number of organisms in a population.

Population Density

The number of individuals per unit area.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum population an environment can sustainably support.

Exponential Growth

Rapid J-shaped population growth.

Logistic Growth

S-shaped population growth that levels off near carrying capacity.

Density-Dependent Limiting Factors

Biotic limiting factors, such as competition, disease, and predation, that depend on population crowding.

Density-Independent Limiting Factors

Abiotic limiting factors, such as wildfire, hurricanes, drought, and extreme weather, that affect populations regardless of density.

Ecological Succession

The gradual change in an ecosystem over time.

Primary Succession

Ecological succession that begins where soil is absent (starting on bare rock) and is generally slower because soil must develop.

Secondary Succession

Ecological succession that begins where soil remains after a disturbance, such as after a wildfire or on an abandoned farm.

Pioneer Species

Early colonizing organisms in succession, such as moss and lichen that colonize bare rock to build soil.

Constraints

Limits used alongside criteria to judge engineering designs.

Biomimicry

The practice of using ideas from nature to solve human engineering problems, connecting biological structures to human designs.

Cell

The basic unit of life.