Ecology of Life – Organism Interactions & Environmental Solutions

A set of fill-in-the-blank flashcards reviewing key concepts from the Ecology of Life lecture, covering organism interactions, ecological principles, human impacts, and environmental solutions.

Predator

An organism that actively hunts, captures, and consumes other organisms (prey) for its energy and nutrient needs. This interaction is central to food webs and population dynamics.

Venus flytrap

A carnivorous plant (Dionaea muscipula) that exhibits a form of plant predation by trapping and digesting insects and arachnids using specialized leaves, typically found in nutrient-poor soils.

Ambush

A predatory tactic where an animal waits in a concealed position for prey to come within striking distance, rather than actively pursuing it. Examples include spiders in webs or chameleons waiting for insects.

Camouflage

A common prey adaptation where an organism uses coloration, patterns, or forms to blend seamlessly with its natural environment, making it difficult for predators (or prey, in the case of predators using camouflage) to detect it.

Intraspecific competition

Ecological competition that occurs among individuals of the same species for limited resources such as food, water, light, mates, or territory. This competition often drives natural selection and population regulation.

Interspecific

Competition that occurs between individuals of different species for the same limited resources, like food, water, or space. This can lead to competitive exclusion or resource partitioning.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Also known as Gause's Law, this principle states that two species competing for the exact same limited resources cannot coexist indefinitely; one species will eventually outcompete and eliminate the other if their niches completely overlap.

Symbiosis

A close and often long-term interaction between two different biological species. These relationships can be mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic, involving varying degrees of benefit or harm to the interacting organisms.

Parasitism

An ecological relationship where one organism, the parasite, lives on or in another organism, the host, benefiting by deriving nutrients at the host's expense. The host is typically harmed but rarely killed immediately, as the parasite relies on its survival.

Ectoparasites

Parasites, such as ticks, fleas, and lice, that live on the external surface of their host's body. They obtain nutrients by feeding on the host's blood or skin.

Endoparasites

Parasites, like tapeworms (Cestoda) or the malarial parasite (Plasmodium), that live inside the body of their host, often within specific organs or tissues. They absorb nutrients directly from the host's internal environment.

Mistletoe

A parasitic flowering plant belonging to the order Santalales that typically grows on trees or shrubs, attaching to the host's branches and drawing water and nutrients directly from their xylem, thereby weakening the host.

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits from the association while the other organism is neither significantly harmed nor helped. The clownfish and sea anemone relationship is a classic example, though it's often re-evaluated to be closer to mutualism due to mutual benefits.

Mutualism

An ecological interaction between two or more species where all organisms involved derive a net benefit from the relationship. This can include benefits like increased food access, protection from predators, or improved reproductive success.

Habitat destruction

The process by which a natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. This often results from human activities like deforestation for agriculture, urbanization, mining, and dam construction, leading to biodiversity loss.

Pollution

The introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light, and can affect air, water, or soil.

Climate change

A long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns, primarily characterized by increasing average global temperatures. This phenomenon is largely attributed to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations due to human activities like burning fossil fuels.

Overexploitation of resources

The unsustainable harvesting of renewable natural resources, such as fish, timber, or groundwater, at a rate that exceeds their natural capacity to regenerate. This leads to resource depletion and can cause ecological degradation and economic collapse.

Ecology

The scientific study of the relationships among living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. It explores how these interactions shape the distribution and abundance of organisms, and the flow of energy and materials within ecosystems.

First law of thermodynamics

Also known as the law of conservation of energy, this principle states that energy cannot be created or destroyed within an ecosystem; it can only be transformed from one form to another, such as light energy converted to chemical energy by producers.

Biodiversity

The variety of life on Earth at all its levels, including the diversity within species (genetic diversity), between species (species diversity), and of ecosystems (ecosystem diversity). It is crucial for stable ecosystems and human well-being.

Nutrient cycling

The movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter. Decomposers play a crucial role by breaking down dead organic material and returning essential nutrients (like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon) to the soil or water, making them available for producers.

Interdependence

The concept that all living organisms and their non-living environment are interconnected and rely on each other for survival and functioning. Interactions like predation, competition, and mutualism demonstrate how changes in one part of an ecosystem can affect others.

Green infrastructure

A network of natural and semi-natural areas that are strategically planned and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services. Examples include rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavements, and urban trees, all designed to manage stormwater, improve air quality, and enhance biodiversity.

Rain gardens

Designed depressions or landscaped areas planted with water-loving vegetation that capture, filter, and absorb stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces like roofs and driveways. They help reduce flooding, filter pollutants, and recharge groundwater.

Green roofs

Building roofs partially or completely covered with vegetation planted over a waterproofing membrane. They help reduce stormwater runoff, insulate buildings to save energy, mitigate urban heat island effects, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Permeable pavements

Paving systems designed to allow stormwater to filter through their surface and infiltrate into the underlying soil rather than running off. This helps reduce runoff volume, recharge groundwater, and filter pollutants, contributing to sustainable urban drainage.

Bioswales

Vegetated, shallow, and gently sloped channels that collect, convey, and filter stormwater runoff while promoting infiltration. They are typically lined with native plants and designed to slow down water flow, allowing pollutants to settle and water to be absorbed into the ground.

Urban trees

Trees planted within urban or suburban settings that provide numerous environmental benefits. These include reducing urban heat island effects through shade and evapotranspiration, improving air quality by absorbing pollutants, and helping manage stormwater runoff by intercepting rainfall and absorbing water through their roots.

Sustainable waste management

A comprehensive approach to managing waste in a way that minimizes its environmental, social, and economic impacts while maximizing resource efficiency. Key goals include reducing waste generation, promoting reuse and recycling, and responsible disposal of residual waste.

Waste hierarchy

A strategic framework that ranks waste management options according to what is best for the environment. It prioritizes waste prevention, followed by reuse, recycling, recovery (e.g., energy from waste), and finally disposal (e.g., landfill) as the least preferred option.

Natural selection

The evolutionary process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. Intraspecific competition for limited resources acts as a strong selective pressure, favoring individuals with traits that give them an advantage in survival and reproduction within their own species.

Ambush

A predatory tactic where an animal (the ambusher) remains motionless and concealed, often camouflaged, until prey comes within a short striking range. This strategy conserves energy and relies on surprise, as opposed to active pursuit.

Thanatosis

A defensive behavior in animals, also known as tonic immobility or feigning death, where an organism plays dead to avoid being attacked by a predator. This tactic relies on the predator losing interest in prey that appears lifeless.