Biology for Science Majors II (BIOL 1307) - Ecology

Flashcards for key vocabulary terms from the Ecology lecture.

Ecology

The scientific study of the interactions of organisms with their environments.

Habitat

Includes the biotic and abiotic factors present in an organism's surroundings.

Biotic factors

All of the organisms in an area, the living component of the environment.

Abiotic factors

The environment's nonliving component, the physical and chemical factors.

Biomes

Major types of ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water, influenced by abiotic factors.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area.

Community

An assemblage of all the populations of organisms living close enough together for potential interaction.

Ecosystem

The community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact.

Landscape ecology

Focuses on the exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems.

Landscape (or seascape)

A mosaic of connected ecosystems.

Global ecology

Concerned with the biosphere, which extends from the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans and is all of Earth that is inhabited by life.

Climate

The prevailing long-term weather conditions found in an area.

Weather

The specific short-term atmospheric conditions of temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind.

Tropics

The region surrounding the equator, receiving the greatest annual input of solar radiation and having the least seasonal variation.

Westerlies

Winds that blow from west to east in temperate zones due to the slower-moving surface.

Trade winds

Winds that blow from east to west in the tropics due to Earth’s rapidly moving surface deflecting vertically circulating air.

Ocean currents

River-like flow patterns in the oceans resulting from a combination of prevailing winds, the planet’s rotation, unequal heating of surface waters, and the location/shapes of continents.

Rain shadow

A dry area on the leeward side of a mountain, created as rising air releases moisture on the windward side and absorbs moisture on the leeward side.

Terrestrial biome

A major life zone characterized by vegetation type.

Aquatic biome

A major life zone characterized by the physical environment.

Desertification

The conversion of semi-arid regions to desert, is a significant environmental problem.

Tundra

Treeless arctic biome characterized by permafrost, continuously frozen subsoil.

Anthropogenic Biomes

Biomes that show evidence of direct alteration from human activities such as farming, logging, and urban development.

Pelagic realm

All open water in the ocean.

Benthic realm

The substrate, which consists of the seafloor in the ocean.

Photic zone

Where light penetration is sufficient for photosynthesis and phytoplankton can occur (oceans).

Aphotic zone

Where there is insufficient light for photosynthesis (oceans).

Abyssal zone

No light (oceans).

Intertidal zones

Areas where the ocean meets the land and the shore is pounded by waves during high tide and exposed to the sun and drying winds during low tide.

Estuaries

Productive areas where rivers meet the ocean.