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Ecology

The study of the relationships between organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem

Living organisms interacting with each other and their nonliving environment.

Biosphere

Includes all the air, land, and water where life exists.

Organism

A living thing.

Habitat

The place an organism lives.

Biotic factor- definition

A living part of the environment.

Examples of biotic factors

Plants, Animals, Fungi, Protists ( algae), and Monerans (bacteria)

Abiotic factor- definition

A non-living part of the environment.

Examples of abiotic factors

water, soil, light , minerals, wind, air, temperature, pollution, etc.

Population

All the organism of one species living in a specific area.

Limiting factors

The resources that organisms need to survive. When unavailable these factors limit a populations' ability to grow/increase.

Community

All populations of different organisms living together in a specific area.

Niche

is an organism's role (job) within its' community.

Producer

An organism that makes it's own food, usually using sunlight by a process called photosynthesis.

Examples of producers

Plants, algae

Autotroph

An organism that can make its own food, usually using sunlight by a process called photosynthesis.

Consumer

An organism that can not make it's own food and must eat another organism.

Examples of consumers

People and animals

Heterotroph

an organism that needs to get its own food by eating another organism.

Decomposer

An organism that decays dead matter and recycles its' nutrients back into the soil.

Examples of decomposers

bacteria, fungi and worms

Food Chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.

Food Web

Consists of many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem.

Energy Pyramid

Shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web. The amount of energy available as you move from the bottom to the top of the pyramid decreases at each feeding level.

Predator

An animal that HUNTS other animals for food

Symbiosis

A close relationship between two organisms.

Prey

An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Host

An organism on which a parasite lives.

Parasite

An organism that feeds on a living host

Camouflage

An organism that hides by blending its appearance with its environment

Mutualism

A close relationship between two organisms in which they both benefit/help each other

Scavenger

An organism that the feeds on the bodies of dead animals.

Example: maggots, vultures and hyenas

Biome

A large region that has a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities

Omnivore

An organism that eats meat and plants

Herbivore

An organism that eats mostly plants

Carnivore

An organism that eats mostly meat

Detritivore

An organism that eats organisms that are already dead.

Exponential growth

when a population reproduces very rapidly

Carrying capacity

the total number of individuals that an environment can support

Overharvesting

when humans take more than nature can replace

Habitat destruction

nature is destroyed to : 1. make more room for human development or 2. harvest the resources

Pollution

materials (natural or manmade) that disrupt the ecosystem

Invasive Species

a type of organism that moves into a new environment and takes resources away from the native species

Keystone species

an organism that has a large effect on the entire community of organisms in its environment

Evolution

the process of a species changing over time

Cladogram

a picture that shows the evolutionary history of an organism and how it is related to others

Evidence for evolution

fossils, DNA, cell structure, homologous structures, analogous structures, vestigial structures, experimentation, and artificial selection

Homologous structures

Structures that show common ancestry

Analogous structures

Structures that develop due to similar environment, do not show common ancestry

Vestigial structures

Structures that have reduced function, but were useful in ancestors

Sonic hedgehog

Gene that affects development of limbs in embryos

Tiktaalik

Common ancestor to many animals

Artificial selection

When humans breed plants or animals together for specific traits

Natural selection

The environment shapes the evolution of organisms

Variation

Not all organisms in a species have the same traits

Differential Reproductive Success

The organisms that have the traits most suited to the environment have more offspring than those that are less suited

Heritability

Desirable traits are passed down from parent to offspring

Inbreeding

when organisms that are closely related breed, usually produces genetically inferior offspring

Pedigree

A graphic showing traits through several generations

Dominant gene

Gene that carries a trait that is always expressed

Recessive gene

Gene that carries a trait that is only seen when there are no dominant genes

Homozygous genotype

two genes that are the same, AA or aa

Heterozygous genotype

two genes that are different, Aa or Ao

Codominance

When two genes are both dominant and both are expressed. An example is blood types in humans

Incomplete dominance

When two genes are both dominant and neither is expressed. Instead, an intermediate phenotype is shown.

Sex-linked traits

Traits that are usually carried on the X chromosome; males are affected more than females

Karyotype

A picture that is made by pairing homologous chromosomes together. Used to diagnose chromosomal diseases caused by nondisjunction

Mitosis

The process of nuclear division; creates new somatic cells

Meiosis

The process of gamete formation

Nondisjunction

When chromatids do not separate correctly during meiosis

Haploid (1N)

A cell that contains half the normal amount of chromosomes

Diploid (2N)

A cell that contains a full set of chromosomes

Chromatin

Uncoiled DNA that is located in the nucleus

Centromere

The place on a chromosome where the spindle fibers attach

Homologous chromosomes

Duplicated chromosomes that contain genes for the same traits

Sister chromatids

The two halves that make up a duplicated chromosome

Deoxyribose

the 5-carbon sugar found in DNA

Nucleotide

The monomer of nucleic acids; made up of: a 5-C sugar, a nitrogen base, and a phosphate group

DNA replication

The process of copying DNA

Helicase

An enzyme in the process of replication; "unzips" the original strand of DNA

Ligase

An enzyme in the process of replication; bonds the Okazaki fragments together to create the lagging strand

DNA polymerase

An enzyme in the process of replication; bonds nucleotides to create the new strands, proofreads for mistakes

RNA polymerase

An enzyme in the process of protein synthesis; creates an m-RNA strand from the DNA template.

Transcription

The first step of protein synthesis; DNA is copied to make m-RNA

Translation

The second step of protein synthesis: m-RNA codons are read to make proteins

Start codon

AUG- this codon codes for the amino acid methionine

Cleavage furrow

The indentation of the cytoplasm that forms during cytokinesis

Photosynthesis

The process that plants and algae use to create sugar from sunlight.

Chloroplast

The organelle found in plant and algae cells that is the site of photosynthesis

Thylakoid

a pancake-like membrane that is the site of the light reaction of photosynthesis

Stroma

the inside of the chloroplast that contains a syrup-like fluid; is the site of the dark reaction/Calvin Cycle of photosynthesis

Stoma/Stomata

Small holes in the epidermis of the leaf; where gas exchange occurs

Guard cells

Small cells that open and close the stoma in plant leaves

The reactants of photosynthesis

Water, sunlight, carbon dioxide

The products of photosynthesis

Oxygen, sugar

Chlorophyll a

The pigment present in thylakoids that absorbs light energy during photosynthesis

Photosystem

A collection of pigments, that includes chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and accessory pigments; absorbs light energy during light reaction of photosynthesis

NADP+

Carrier molecule that transports a hydrogen ion and two electrons from the light reaction to the dark reaction