Community Ecology and Ecosystem Dynamics (6)

Biological community

Assemblage of interacting species living close enough for potential interaction

Interspecific interactions

Relationships between different species in a community.

Interspecific competition

Species compete for the same limited resources.

Competitive exclusion principle

Two species cannot coexist competing for identical resources.

Ecological niche

Total resource use by a species.

Resource partitioning

Differentiation of niches to reduce competition.

Realized niche

Actual conditions where a species exists.

Fundamental niche

Potential conditions where a species can exist.

Predation

One species kills and consumes another.

Cryptic coloration

Camouflage that conceals prey from predators.

Aposematic coloration

Bright warning colors indicating toxicity.

Batesian mimicry

Harmless species mimics harmful species appearance.

Müllerian mimicry

Unpalatable species resemble each other for protection.

Symbiosis

Intimate relationships between two or more species.

Mutualism

Both species benefit from the interaction.

Obligate mutualism

One species cannot survive without the other.

Facultative mutualism

Both species can survive alone.

Commensalism

One species benefits, the other is unaffected.

Facilitation

One species positively affects another without direct and intimate contact.

Species diversity

Variety of organisms in a community.

Species richness

Number of different species in a community.

Relative abundance

Proportion of each species in the community.

Shannon diversity index

Quantitative measure of species diversity.

Trophic structure

Feeding relationships among organisms in a community.

Herbivore

Animal that primarily eats plants.

Ecosystem

Community of organisms and their abiotic environment.

Dynamic involves two main processes:

Energy dynamic and chemical cycling

Energy flow

Movement of energy through an ecosystem.

Chemical cycling

Recycling of nutrients within an ecosystem.

1st law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed.

2nd law of thermodynamics

Systems tend towards greater disorder (entropy).

Law of conservation of mass

Matter cannot be created or destroyed.

Gross primary production (GPP)

Total chemical energy produced by photosynthesis.

Net primary production (NPP)

GPP minus energy used by producers for respiration.

NPP units

Measured as J/m²·yr or g/m²·yr.

Limiting nutrient

Nutrient required for increased production.

Eutrophication

Nutrient overload causing algae blooms and depletion of oxygen

Production efficiency

Fraction of energy stored in food.

Secondary production

Energy converted to new biomass over time.

Detritus

Organic matter from dead organisms.

Primary production

The creation of organic compounds by producers.

Ectotherms

Cold-blooded organisms with higher production efficiencies.

Endotherms

Warm-blooded organisms with lower production efficiencies.

Trophic efficiency

Percentage of energy transferred between trophic levels.

Trophic level

Position in a food chain or web.

Aquatic ecosystems

Ecosystems with higher energy transfer efficiency.

Biogeochemical cycles

Movement of elements through biological and geological processes.

Carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen

Water Cycle

Evaporation by solar energy

Carbon cycle

carbon added to the atmosphere by the respiration of living organisms (CO2), then removed by photosynthesis

Nitrogen cycle

Is a limiting nutrient. ______ is converted between its various chemical forms, including nitrogen fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification, allowing it to be reused by living organisms and the environment

Phosphorus cycle

_____ is a major constituent of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and ATP.

Gaseous elements

Elements like carbon and nitrogen cycling globally.

Reservoirs

Storage locations for nutrients in ecosystems.

Fossilization

Process of organic material turning into fossil fuels.

Photosynthesis

Process converting sunlight into chemical energy.

Decomposition

Breakdown of organic material into simpler substances.

Bioremediation

Use of organisms (bacteria, fungi, plants) to detoxify polluted ecosystems.

Biological augmentation

uses organisms to add essential materials to a degraded ecosystem