Learn: Comprehensive Ecology and Biosphere Concepts for Students

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Ecology

The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

Population

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

Community

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

Ecosystem

A community of organisms and their abiotic environment

biotic factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment

abiotic factors

Nonliving components of environment.

atmosphere

A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon.

hydrosphere

All the water on earth

geosphere

The mostly solid, rocky part of the Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface of the crust.

weather

day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, and other factors

climate

The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time

greenhouse effect

warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere

biomes

A community of living organisms of a single major ecological region.

canopy

Dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees

understory

layer in a rain forest formed by shorter trees and vines

humus

material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter

Taiga

a region of evergreen, coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions

Permafrost

permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground

Anthromes

human altered biomes

photic zone

sunlight region near the surface of water

aphotic zone

permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone

Plankton

Tiny algae and animals that float in water and are carried by waves and currents.

wetland

ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface for at least part of the year

Estuary

A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

population density

The number of individuals in an area of a specific size

population distribution

how population is spread out in an area

age structure

number of males and females of each age in a population

immigration

movement of individuals into a population

emigration

movement of individuals out of a population

logistic growth

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth

exponential growth

Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate

carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

limiting factor

factor that causes the growth of a population to decrease

density dependent factors

limiting factor that depends on population size

density independent factors

limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size