Ecology and Organism Responses

These flashcards cover fundamental ecological concepts, including levels of organization, niche definitions, abiotic factors (temperature, salinity, light, soil), and the physiological responses of organisms such as regulation, conformation, migration, and suspension.

Ecology

The study of interactions and interrelationships between organisms and their environment.

Levels of Organization

The hierarchy of ecological biological classification: Biosphere (The Earth), Biome, Landscape, Ecosystem, Community (different species), Population (same species), and Organism.

Niche

A suitable habitat for an organism where it can tolerate abiotic factors, utilize resources, compete with other organisms, and perform its functional role as a member of an ecosystem.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components of an ecosystem that include temperature, water, soil, and light.

Eurythermal

Organisms that can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, such as Aves (Birds) and Mammals (e.g., $4^{\text{o}}C - 44^{\text{o}}C$).

Stenothermal

Organisms that can tolerate only a narrow range of temperatures, including mostly plants and invertebrates (e.g., a range of $25^{\text{o}}C - 32^{\text{o}}C$).

Euryhaline

Organisms that can tolerate a wide range of salinity, such as Salmon fish.

Stenohaline

Organisms that can tolerate only a narrow range of salinity, including mostly aquatic animals and plants.

Salinity Concentration (Inland Water)

Salinity levels typically measured at $<5\%$ parts per thousand (ppt).

Salinity Concentration (Sea)

Salinity levels typically measured at $30-35\%$ parts per thousand (ppt).

Salinity Concentration (Hypersaline Lagoons)

Extreme salinity levels typically measured at $>100\%$ parts per thousand (ppt).

Photoperiod

The duration of light that affects various biological processes such as flowering in plants and breeding, foraging, and migration in animals.

Soil Characteristics

Properties of soil determined by climatic conditions, weathering, sedimentation, and development, including mineral content, $PH$, temperature, salt concentration, particle size, $H_2O$ holding capacity, and percolation.

Regulator

An organism that can maintain its internal level (homeostasis) even when the external environment changes, including Aves and Mammals.

Conformer

An organism that cannot maintain its internal level in response to external environmental changes, including almost all plants and all animals except Aves and Mammals.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a constant internal state through thermoregulatory and osmoregulatory processes.

Migration

The movement of an organism from a stressful condition to a suitable environment for food, shelter, and breeding, returning only after the stressful condition has passed.

Diapause

A stage of suspended development found in zooplanktons (microscopic animals) to survive stressful conditions.

Suspension Mechanisms

Methods organisms use to survive stress without moving, including spores (bacteria, fungi, algae), seeds (angiosperms), hibernation, and aestivation.

Benthic Animals

Aquatic organisms whose distribution is determined by the soil temperature and characteristics of the environment.