Ecology

Ecosystems

All the living and non-living things that interect in an area.

Biotic Factors

Living things in an ecosystem

Abiotic Factors

Non-living factors including temperature, water, sunlight, wind, rocks and soil

Levels of ecological organization

Groups of organisms at progressive levels

Organisms

Any living thing

Species

Taxonomic group whose members can interbreed

Population

A group of organisms of the same species populating a given area

Communities

Different populations that live together in a defined area

Habitats

Places where animals or plants naturally live and grow

Invasive Species

Species that enter new ecosystems and multiply, harming native species and their habitats

Symbiosis

The relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent

Mutualism

A close relationship; both species benefit

Commensalism

A close relationship; one species benefits, the other doesn't benefit but isn't harmed

Parasitism

A close relationship; one species benefits, the other is harmed

Potential Niche

The entire range of resource opportunities an organism is potentially able to occupy within an ecostystem

Fundamental Niche

Niche where an organism is actually able to live

Photosynthesis

Autotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy

Producer

Organism that can make their own food

Consumer

Organisms that take in food material and are above producers on the energy pyramid

Herbivores

Consumers that eat only plants

Carnivores

Consumers that eat only animals

Omnivores

A consumer that eats both plants and animals

Decomposers

organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment

Cellular Respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down food molecules in the presence of oxygen:

Food Chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten User-

Food Web

Shows how food chains are related within an ecosystem

Trophic Level

Organism in a food chain that represents a feeding step in the passage of energy and materials through an ecosystem

Carbon Cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Nitrogen Cycle

The cycle in which nitrogen gas is changed into forms of nitrogen that plants can use

Phosphorus Cycle

The process by which phosphorus is recycled in the ecosystem

Ecological Succession

The gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established

Primary Succession

The series of changes that occur in an area where no ecosystem previously existed

Secondary Succession

The series of changes that occur after a disturbance of an existing ecosystem

Pioneer Species

The first species to live in an area of primary succession

Climax Community

A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time.

Growth Rate

Rate of increase or decrease of a population

Generation Time

Average time between one generation of offspring and the next

Exponential Growth

Occurs when the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate

Carrying Capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Competition

Interaction in which two or more species use the same limited resource

Limiting Resource

A short supply of resources restricting the growth of a population

Reproductive Potential

Rate at which a specices can increase population

Tundra

Cold and largely treeless across northern North America

Permafrost

Permanently frozen layer of soil under the surface

Tropical Forest

Near the equator

Temperate Forest

Distinct seasons and moderate climate

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Trees lose their leaves in fall and regrow in spring

Taiga

A forested biome dominated by coniferous trees

Grasslands

Prairies, steppes, pampas, veldts; near the equator, characterized by treeless areas and tall grasses.

Desert

Rainfall less than 9.9 inches per year