NCEA Level 3: Biology - Plant and Animal Responses

Entrainment

Synchronisation of biological rhythms by external cues

Tropism

Plant movement by growth.
Direction of response depends on direction of stimulus

Biological clock

Mechanism that allows an organism to keep track of time

Effector

Component that produces a response/action

Endogenous rhythm

A rhythm that continues without any external cues (zeitgebers)

Adaptive advantage

Any trait that means that an organism has a greater chance of surviving and reproducing

Environmental cue

A signal or trigger from the environment that can entrain an endogenous rhythm and regulates an exogenous one

Exogenous rhythm

A pattern that occurs only in response to external cues and disappears when cues are removed

Free-running period

The time between onset of one activity to the next, in the absence of environmental cues

Homing

Ability of an organism to return 'home' across unfamiliar territory

Innate behaviour

Any genetically determined behaviour

Kinesis

Non-directional movement of an organism or its parts in response to a stimulus. Proportional to intensity

Learned behaviour

A behaviour based on experience, or passed on by imitation

Migration

Seasonal movement of a population of animals from one region to another

Phase shift

Amount of time difference between entrained endogenous rhythms and free running period

Zeitgeber

External or environmental cue that entrains/synchronises a biological rhythm

Taxes

Animal movement towards or away from stimulus

Nastic response

Intensity related response to a non-directional stimulus in plants

Orthokinesis

Speed of movement is related to intensity of stimulus

Klinokinesis

Number of random turns is related to intensity of stimulus

Circadian

Activity period of approximately 24 hours

Circatidal

Activity period of approximately 12.4 hours

Circalunar

Activity period of approximately 29 days

Circannual

Activity period of approximately approximately 360 days

Diurnal

Active in day
Inactive at night

Nocturnal

Active at night
Inactive in day

Crepuscular

Active at dawn and dusk

Arrhythmic

No regular pattern observed in organisms in constant habitats

Intraspecific

Competition between members of the same species

Interspecific

Competition between members of different

Home range

Set area which animals rarely leave

Territory

Area defended by an animal

k-strategy

Reproductive process where organisms produce and care for a small number of offspring

Pair Bond

Stable relationship between animals of opposite sex that ensures mating

Parental care

Investment of resources by parents in survival of offspring

Mimicry

Adaptive resemblance between unrelated species

Batesian mimicry

Resemblance of a harmless species to one that is poisonous

Mullerian mimicry

Mimicry between unpalatable species

Camouflage

Concealment method in which an animal is coloured to match the environment

Photoperiodism

Activity regulated by day length

Phytochrome

Plant protein associated with measurement of photoperiod

r-strategy

Reproductive process where organisms produce large amounts of offspring but with little care

Long day plant

Plant that flowers when day length exceed a minimum value

Short day plant

Plant that flowers when day length is less than a minimum value

Free-running

Behaviour rhythm proceeding independently of external changes

Exogenous

Behaviour driven by external stimuli

Endogenous

Behaviour driven by internal stimuli

Day neutral plant

Flowering does not depend on day length

Critical day length

Photoperiod determining when a plant (short or long day) will flower

Vernalisation

Induction of flowering by chilling

Auxin

Plant growth hormone which has an important role in tropisms

Meristem

Continuous growth area in plants at tip of roots and stem

Gibberellin

Plant growth hormone promoting shoot elongation

Navigation

Determining one's position relative to other locations

Solar navigation

Using the sun to navigate

Stellar/constellation navigation

Using the stars to navigate

Abscission

Process where a plant sheds parts when the loss is beneficial

Abscisic Acid

Plant hormone promoting seed dormancy

Ethelene

Plant hormone stimulates fruit ripening and abscission

Cytokinins

Plant hormone promoting cell division

Allelopathy

Chemical inhibition of another organism by another

Brood parasite

A parasite laying eggs in another species nest so that the species will raise the parasite's offspring

Commensalism

Interspecific relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected

Gause's principle

"Similar species cannot co-exist (for sustained periods of time in the same ecological niche"

Mutualism

Interspecific relationship where both species benefit from the interaction