NCEA Level 3 Biology - Plant and Animal Responses

Abiotic Factors

Non living environmental factors affecting an organism

Biotic Factors

Living factors affecting an organism

Intraspecific Competition

Competition between different species

Interspecific Competition

Competition between organisms of the same species

Taxis

Movement towards or away from a stimulus

Predation

One animal kills another for food

Parasitism

One organism feeds off another but does not kill it

Amensalism

One organism benifits while the other is harmed

Alleopathy

One organism secretes a substance to inhibit the growth of another

Mutualism

Relationship where both organisms benifit

Commensalism

One species benifits while the other is not affected

Courtship

Ritualised behaviour between members of the same species to facilitate sexual reproduction

Orthokinesis

Non-directional response to the speed of an organism

Klinokinesis

Non-directional response to the random tuning and movement of an organism

Zeitgeber

Environmental stimulus that resets an organisms biological clock e.g. light from the sun

Migration

Mass movement of a population from one area to another

Homing

An animals ability to return home from unfamiliar territory

Tropism

Directional growth towards or away from a stimulus

Nastic movements

Non-directional responses to a stimulus most often found in plants

Circadian Rhythm

A daily rhythm of an organism

Endogenous Rhythm

Internal rhythms such as a biological clock that do not necessarily completely connect with external abiotic cues

Exogenous Rhythm

Rhythms that are derived from an external cue such as sunlight or tide

Vernalisation

regulation of flowering by a period of chilling

Territory

closely guarded area where organisms give birth and care for offspring

Home Range

Wider area than the territory where organisms hunt for food, gather water etc.

Succession

The changing of an environment due to competition over time

Auxin

Chemical that causes cells in plants to elongate and therefore grow towards or away from a stimulus

Riboflavin

This is what absorbs the light in plants

Gibberellins

Increase inter-node length causing long day plants to flower. Helps mobilise endosperm and promotes germination of a wide variety of seeds

Cyokinins

Promotes cell division

Abcission

Leaf fall, aim is to prevent water loss in cells so that the water in leaves does not freeze

kin selection

the idea that behaviours that help a genetic relative are favoured by natural selection

k-selected

Species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproductive age.

Co-operative breeding

Organism work together when breeding so all benefit e.g pukekos

parental care

Investment of resources by parents in the survival of offspring

free-running rhythm

cyclical activity driven by biological clock in absence of environmental cues

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus in the brain that governs the timing of circadian rhythms

Actogram

diagram showing the periods of activity and rest of an organism over a number of twenty four hour periods so that trends in activity can be identified

biological clock

an internal control of natural cycles

Circatidal rhythm

A rhythm with a period of approximately 12 hours under constant environmental conditions

Circalunar rhythm

A rhythm with a period of approximately 29 days under constant environmental conditions

circannual rhythm

Cycle of activity with an approximate 365 day period that expresses itself independent of environmental cues.

Entrainment

the process of altering the free-running cycle to fit a different rhythm

Amyloplast

Amyloplasts are dense starch granules that will sink to the bottom of a cell and aid in gravitropism

Phototropism

A growth response to light

Gravitropism/Geotropism

A growth response to gravity

Thigmotropism

A growth response to touch

pair bond

a durable and exclusive relationship between a male and a female

pheromone

A chemical released by one animal that affects the behavior of another animal of the same species.

mimicry

Adaptive resemblance between unrelated species

Batesian mimicry

A type of mimicry in which a harmless species looks like a species that is poisonous or otherwise harmful to predators.

Mullerian mimicry

two or more unpalatable species resemble each other

instinc

complex behaviour that is not modified by experience

Camouflage (cryptic coloration)

Any colour, pattern, shape, or behaviour that enables an animal to blend in with its surroundings

Photo periodism

Regulation by activity by day length

phytochrome

plant pigment responsible for photoperiodism

r-strategist

reproductive strategy in which organisms reproduce early, bear many small, unprotected offspring

long day plants (short night plants)

will flower only if dark is shorter than a certain number of hours, day length exceeds a certain minimum value

short day plants

plants that flower when nights are longer than a critical length

diurnal

active during the day

nocturnal

active at night

Crepuscular

active at dawn and dusk

arrhythmic

No regular pattern found in organisms in unchanging habitats eg. caves

pecking order

Social hierarchy: where there are levels of dominance in the organisms

courtship behavior

The behaviour that animals of the same species engage in to prepare for mating.

Chemotropism

response to chemicals

Hydrotropism

A plant's response to water

positive chemotaxis

movement toward a chemical stimulus

kinesis

A simple change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimuli.

orthokinesis

The speed of the movement is related to intensity of stimulus

klinokinesis

The amount of random turning is related to the intensity of stimulus

day-neutral plants

plants whose flowering cycle is not sensitive to periods of light and dark

Critical day length

photoperiod above which long-day plants flower and below which short-day plants flower

vernalisation

Induction of flowering by a period of chilling

Lek

an arena where males gather to display for females

Klinostat

Wheel to which germinating plants can be attached and rotated

learning

a relatively permanent change in an organism's behaviour due to experience

navigation

Determining one's position relative to other locations

solar navigation

Using the sun to navigate

stellar navigation

Using the stars to navigate

magnetic navigation

many animals that undertake great migrations are thought to somehow utilise earth's magnetic field, examples: grey whales, sea turtles, birds