Ecological Disturbances and Succession

Flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to ecological disturbances, succession, soil properties, and glacial history based on lecture notes.

Disturbance

A deviation from normal that destroys biomass, affecting ecological balance.

Anthropogenic Disturbance

Disturbance that is human-caused, such as clear-cutting or pollution.

Natural Disturbance

Disturbance caused by natural events like fires, floods, or hurricanes.

Succession

The step-by-step process of ecological change following a disturbance.

Primary Succession

Succession that occurs on newly exposed geological substrates with no soil present.

Secondary Succession

Succession that occurs in areas where soil remains intact after a disturbance.

Climax Community

A stable and mature ecological community at the end of the succession process.

Species Richness

The number of different species represented in an ecological community.

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis

Proposes that moderate levels of disturbance foster greater species diversity than low or high levels.

Glacial Erratics

Large boulders carried and deposited by glaciers, often found in unusual locations.

Moraines

Landforms created from deposits of glacial till, forming ridges or layers of unsorted debris.

Kettle Ponds

Isolated, circular ponds formed by melting ice from glaciers, with no inlet or outlet.

Soil Horizons

Layers of soil that differ in properties and composition, including O, A, B, and C horizons.

Acreal Fluvocrept

A classification of soil based on texture, typically found along water sources.

Biotic Factors

Living influences that affect ecology, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Parent Material

The underlying geological material from which soil develops.

Field Capacity

The amount of water soil can hold after excess water has drained away and the soil is saturated.

Microscopic Water

Water that is tightly bound to soil particles, not available for plant uptake.

Silt

Soil particles sized between 0.002 and 0.05 millimeters.

Loam

A type of soil composed of roughly equal parts sand, silt, and clay, ideal for plant growth.

Transect

A method used in ecology to sample and study the distribution of organisms across a specified area.