Key Biology Terms: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Adaptations

abiotic factor

A non-living factor that can affect a community, e.g. light intensity and temperature.

abundance

The number of individuals of a species in a given area.

adaptation

A feature that enables an organism to survive in the conditions in which they normally live.

aerobic

Involving or requiring oxygen.

agricultural input

A product that is used in farming to increase yield, e.g. fertilisers and plant protection products.

agriculture

Relating to farming: cultivating soil, growing crops and rearing livestock.

algae (singular: alga)

A group of mostly aquatic, eukaryotic organisms that take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen by photosynthesis.

anaerobic

Involving or requiring an absence of oxygen.

apex predator

A carnivore with no predators.

atmosphere

The layer of gases that surrounds the Earth.

bacteria

Microscopic single-celled organisms. They may produce toxins that damage tissues and make us feel ill.

behavioural adaptation

Behaviours which give an organism an advantage, e.g. a hedgehog rolls into a ball when it feels threatened.

biodiversity

The variety of all the different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem.

biofuel

Any fuel taken from living or recently living organisms.

biogas generator

Equipment used to produce methane gas as a fuel. It ensures anaerobic conditions for decomposition of plant and/or animal material.

biomass

The mass of living material of an organism, including all proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, excluding water content.

biotechnology

The use of living organisms to develop new processes or produce useful substances.

biotic factor

A living factor that can affect a community, e.g. availability of food and new predators.

birth rate

The number of babies born every year per 1000 people in a population.

breeding programmes

The planned breeding of animals or plants, usually involving several individuals over several generations.

carbon cycle

The exchange of carbon between living organisms and the atmosphere in a continuous cycle.

carnivore

An animal that feeds on other animals.

community

Two or more populations of organisms occupying the same area.

competition

An interaction between organisms or species because of limited supplies of resources.

compost

A mixture made from dead plants or manure that is used for fertilising plants.

conflict

Fighting between two or more groups of people or countries, almost always leads to food insecurity.

consumer

Organisms that get their energy by consuming other organisms.

decay

The process of decomposition or rotting.

decomposer

Microorganisms that feed on waste droppings and dead organisms, e.g. bacteria and fungi.

decomposition

The process of breaking down a material.

deforestation

The process of clearing a large area of trees.

diabetes

A disease that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are too high.

distribution

The geographic area where individuals of a species occur.

ecologist

A scientist who studies the interrelationships between organisms and their environments.

ecology

The study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environments.

ecosystem

The interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) and the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment.

efficiency (of biomass transfer)

The proportion of biomass transferred from a lower trophic level to a higher one.

egested material

Waste material that is removed from a cell or organism.

endangered species

A species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.

evaporation

A change of state from liquid to gas.

extremophile

A microorganism that lives in conditions of extreme temperature, acidity, alkalinity, or chemical concentration.

faeces

The waste matter that is egested after food has been digested.

famine

Extreme scarcity of food.

farming

The business of growing crops and raising livestock.

fertiliser

A formulation that contains minerals to promote plant growth.

field margin

The area between the crop and the field boundary, usually next to a hedgerow.

fish stock

A population of a particular species of fish.

fishing quota

A restriction to the number of a specific species of fish that can be caught and killed.

food chain

A representation of the feeding relationships within a community.

food security

Having enough food to feed a population.

functional adaptation

An adaptation related to processes such as reproduction and metabolism.

Fusarium

A fungus used for producing mycoprotein.

genetic modification

A technique to change the characteristics of an organism by transferring DNA from a different organism.

genetically modified (GM) crop

A plant that has been modified to include DNA from a different organism and is grown on a large scale commercially.

geographic change

A change relating to a location or region.

global warming

The gradual increase in the overall temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.

golden rice

A genetically engineered variety of rice, that produces a molecule used to make vitamin A. Used to combat vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.

habitat

The natural home or environment of an organism.

herbivore

An animal that feeds on plants.

incident energy

The amount of thermal energy that hits a surface, i.e. the amount of radiation from the Sun that falls on a plant.

ingested material

Material that is taken into the body.

insulin

A hormone that is produced by the pancreas when the blood glucose concentration is too high.

interdependence

The dependence of each species on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal etc. If one species is removed it can affect the whole community.

light intensity

A measure of the amount of light hitting an area in a given time.

methane gas

A greenhouse gas with the chemical formula CH4, produced by cows and other farm animals, as well as landfill waste.

microorganism

An organism that can only be seen using a microscope.

mycoprotein

A protein-rich food suitable for vegetarians that is produced by the fungus Fusarium.

optimum conditions

The most favourable conditions for growth and reproduction of an organism.

organism

A single living thing. Can be multicellular or single-celled.

pathogen

A microorganism that causes infectious disease.

peat bog

An area of land from which peat (a deposit of dead plant material) is taken.

pest

A destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food or livestock.

pH

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance on a scale of 0 to 14.

pollination

The transfer of pollen from the male part of a plant to the female part.

pollutant

A substance with undesirable effects that is introduced to the environment.

pollution

The introduction of harmful materials into the environment.

population

All the members of a single species that live in a habitat.

predator

An organism that kills and eats other animals.

prey

An organism that is eaten by a predator.

primary consumer

A herbivore that eats producers.

producer

An organism at the beginning of a food chain which synthesises molecules. This is usually a green plant or alga which makes glucose by photosynthesis.

pyramid of biomass

A diagram that shows the biomass at each trophic level. It is always a pyramid shape. Trophic level 1 is at the bottom of the pyramid.

quadrat

A square frame used to take a representative sample of plants or slow-moving animals in an area.

quarrying

The process of blasting rock out of the ground in huge pits to obtain materials.

recycling

The collection and processing of used materials to make new products.

respiration

A chemical reaction that breaks down glucose to release energy.

secondary consumer

A carnivore that eats primary consumers (herbivores).

seed dispersal

The spreading of seeds away from the parent plant to reduce competition between the new plants and the parent plant.

sewage

The waste material carried by sewer drains and pipes.

soluble

A substance that will dissolve in a given solvent.

species

A group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

stable community

A community where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant. Predator and prey numbers rise and fall in cycles in this type of community.

structural adaptation

A physical feature that allows organisms to compete in the environment in which they usually live.

sustainable

Able to be maintained at a certain level or rate, or continue over time.

synthesise

To make something by combining parts.

temperature

The average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance, measured in degrees Celsius (°C).

territory

An area defended by an organism or group of similar organisms for shelter, mating or feeding.

tertiary consumer

A carnivore that eats secondary consumers.

toxicity

A measure of how toxic or poisonous a drug is. In clinical trials, drugs are tested for this to ensure they do not cause harmful side effects.

transect

A line across a habitat or part of a habitat used to sample the number of organisms at regular intervals.