BI 117: Exam 1 Vocab

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment. It includes the interactions among organisms because they are an important part of one another's environment

Population

A group of individuals of a single species living in a particular area and interact with each other

Community

An association of interacting populations of different species living in the same area

Ecosystem

A community of organisms plus the physical environment where they live

Landscapes

Areas that vary substantially from one place to another typically including many ecosystems

Biosphere

All live in organisms on Earth plus the environments in which they live

Natural selection

Individuals with particular characteristics tend to survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other individuals because of those characteristics

Nutrient cycle

The cyclic movement of a nutrient like nitrogen or phosphorus between organisms and the physical environment

Weather

the current temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, and cloud cover

Climate

Long term description of weather at a given location, based on averages and variation measured over decades

Latent heat

Evaporation, transpiration

Sensible heat

Convection, conduction

Latent Heat Flux

heat loss from evapotranspiration

Sensible Heat Flux

energy transfer from surface warm air to cooler atmosphere by convection and conduction

Hadley Cell

the tropical uplift of air creates a large-scale pattern of atmospheric circulation in each hemisphere

Polar Cell

occurs at the North and South poles

Ferrel Cell

exists at mid-latitudes between the Hadley and polar cells

Coriolis Effect

Prevailing winds appear to be deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

Rain shadow effect

In temperate zones where the prevailing winds blow toward the east moving air encounters the western slopes of mountain ranges and loses most of its moisture as precipitation before cresting over the summits

Evapotranspiration

The sum of water loss by transpiration and by evaporation; transfers energy and water into atmosphere reducing air temperature and soil moisture

Epilmnion

Surface layer warmest, with active phytoplankton and zooplankton

Thermocline

A zone of rapid temperature decline below the surface layer

Hypolimnion

A stable layer of the densest, closed water in the lake below thermocline

Salinity

Concentration of dissolved salts in water

Salts

Ionic compounds, composed of cations and anions that disassociate when placed in water

Biomes

Large-scale biological communities shaped by the physical environment in which they are found

Lotic ecosystems

Flowing water, descending water converges into larger streams and rivers

Lentic ecosystems

Lakes and other still waters filled with water or where humans have damned rivers to form reservoirs

Phytoplankton

Are limited to the surface layer of water where there is enough light for photosynthesis

Zooplankton

Tiny animals and non-photosynthetic protests, feeding on detritus as it falls through the water

Estuaries

Junction of a river with ocean

Tolerance

Organisms tolerate temperature extremes

Avoidance

Organisms avoid extremes through behavior or physiological change

Physiological ecology

Study of interactions between organisms and the physical environment that influences their survival, persistence and geographic ranges

Adaptations

Favorite traits increase in genetic makeup of a population over generations; individuals with these traits can cope with environmental variation and favored by natural selection

Transpiration

Important evaporative cooling mechanism for leaves