a group of populations that are capable of inter-breeding and producing fertile offspring (reproductively isolated); Fundamental unit of microevolution
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populations
a group of organisms belonging to the same species and occupying the same area at the same time; Fundamental unit of microevolution
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Community
an assemblage of different populations within a given area
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Biome
a community bounded by geography, and usually defined by a particular climax community
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Ecosystem
a complex, self-sustaining natural system compromised by biotic and abiotic interactions.
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Diversity
variation; either the number of species in a community, how different these species are, or their relative abundance
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Competition (and competitive exclusion)
interactions among individuals and among different species for shared resources; restriction or elimination of one species from a habitat through monopolization of shared resources
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pelagic
associated with the open ocean, a habitat without an solid barriers
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coastal
associated with land adjacent to body of water
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benthic
associated with the bottom of a body of water (typically marine)
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estuary
coastal, brackish bodies of water open to both freshwater and marine ecosystems
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Thermophilic
organisms living in high temperature environmemts
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fluvial
pertaining to, or found in, rivers (i.e. riverine)
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riparian
pertaining to, or found along riverbanks
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lentic
still (not moving) bodies of water (ponds, swamps)
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lotic
rapidly moving bodies of water (rivers and streams)
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allochthonous
nutrients or materials imported into a habitat or system
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autochthonous
nutrients or materials found locally within a habitat or system
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headwaters
the origins of a river or stream, always ‘upstream’
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osmoregulation
maintenace of osmotic pressure in organisms through control of salts and water
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hyperosmotic
increased relative osmotic pressure (within an animal)
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hypoosmotic
decreased relative osmotic pressure (within an animal)
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boundary layer
thin layer of fluid surrounding a submerged object
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anaerobic/anoxic
state of, or processes occuring in, the absence of oxygen
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homeotherms
organisms that maintain constant internal temperature
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poikilotherms
organisms that have varying internal temperature
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ectotherms
organisms with body temperature regulated by external temperature
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endotherms
organisms which make enough metabolic heat to raise body temperature
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weather
short term state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, including the temperature, humidity, cloud cover, precipitation, wind, etc.
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climate/climatic
long-term, typical atmospheric conditions in an area, such as temperature and rainfall
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tropics
regions of Earth that lie between the latitude lines of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
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temperate
between the tropics and the polar regions, mild to warm summers and cool to cold winters
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polar
situated at or around either of Earth’s poles, climate featuring cool summers and very cold winters
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arid/xeric
a lack of water availability, generally due to low precipitation. Xeric refers to low water availability
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elevation
changes in sea level or altitude (elevation)
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topography
form of the landscape—its steepness, shape, and slope aspect (slope direction)
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sympatry vs allopatry
speciation in the same region, without barriers vs. speciation through a barrier (usually geological)
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barriers
obstruction to gene flow or organism migration
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transect
an artificial line across an expanse of ground along which ecological measurements are taken, continuously or at regular intervals
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disturbed/distrubance
physical force, agent, or process, either abiotic or biotic, causing a perturbation to an ecological system
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groundwater
water that collects or flows beneath the earth's surface, percolating through and filling the porous spaces in soil
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transpiration
evaporation of water from leaves while their stomata are open (for the passage of CO2 and O2 during photosynthesis).
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C3 vs C4 vs CAM
different means of performing photosynthesis, C4 & CAM spatially or temporally break-up photosynthetic intermediate stages. C4 and CAM plants are adapted for arid or xeric environments, where water is limited.
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thermal inertia
the ability of a material to conduct and store heat, its resistance to changing temperature
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thermoregulation
mechanism by which organisms maintain body temperature as part of homeostasis
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homeotherm (endotherm)/ poikilotherm (ectotherm)
maintaining (or not) a relatively uniform body temperature nearly independent of the environment
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littoral
the shallow area at the edge of a lake or pond containing rooted vegetation (e.g., lilies, reeds)
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limnetic (FW pelagic)
open water past the littoral zone, where phytoplankton, not rooted plants, are the primary producers
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profundal
deepest waters of the lake where light does not reach, usually hypoxic or even anoxic
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thermocline
transition layer between two layers of water, usually warmer in upper, mixed layers and cooler below
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stratification
tendency of lakes to form separate and distinct thermal layers during warm weather
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watershed
the land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers
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wetlands
land that is either covered by water or saturated with water, permanently or seasonally, and is shallow enough for emergent vegetation at all depths
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salt marshes
a type of coastal wetland, dominated by grasses, that is regularly flooded by seawater
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mangrove swamps/mangal
a tidal, marine swamp that is dominated by emergent, woody mangroves
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intertidal (rocky or sandy)
coastal seashore which is covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide
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coral reefs
living & non-living structures in shallow oceans that are formed by corals and their calcareous skeletons
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neritic zone
shallow part of an ocean immediately adjacent to the coast, i.e., the inundated continental shelf
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ocean zone
ocean region beyond the coasts and continental shelf
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photic zone
uppermost layer of a body of water where enough light penetrates to permit photosynthesis
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aphotic zone
region of a body of water, beneath the photic zone, where no light penetrates
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biomass
quantity of organic material that comes from plants and animals
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growing season
portion of the year during which rainfall, temperature & daylight) permit plant growth •
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soil
material on the immediate surface of Earth which plants grow in
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parent material
the geologic material from which soil horizons form
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angiosperms
flowering plants
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coniferous
‘evergreens,’ cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms
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deciduous (plants)
plants, usually trees, that lose their leaves at the end of their growing season
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sclerophyllous
evergreen trees and shrubs with hard, thick, leathery, and usually small leaves
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herbaceous
any vascular plant that does not have true woody tissues (e.g., ferns & grasses)
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Diversification
speciation minus extinction = diversification
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habitat complexity
heterogeneity in the arrangement of physical structures in habitats
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phylogenetics
study of the evolutionary history and relationships among groups of organisms
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pollination
transference of pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma
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niche
range of biotic and abiotic conditions an organism can tolerate
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fundamental niche
range of biotic and abiotic conditions an animal can persist in
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realized niche
range of biotic and abiotic conditions an organisms persists in, after accounting for competition
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geographic range
measure of the total area covered by a population
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coexistance
ability of species to persist together indefinitely in the absence of any major change
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intraspecfic
occurring within a species (one species)
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interspecfic
\- occurring between species (at least two species)
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performance
organism's ability to execute dynamic and ecologically relevant tasks (catch prey, locomote, display for mates, etc.)
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fitness
organism's ability to pass its genetic material to its offspring (reproductive success), a reflection of the investment it can make in reproduction
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niche partitioning
mechanisms by which co-occurring competitors may coexist through division of resources
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fecundity
maximum potential reproductive output of an individual
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intraspecific competition
maximum potential reproductive output of an individual
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interspecific competition
competition occurring between two or more species
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resource
anything an organism consumes or uses
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renewable resources
resources that are constantly regenerated
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Liebig’s law of the minimum
a population increases until the supply of the most limited resource prevents further increase
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carrying capacity
the maximum number of individuals of a species that the environment can carry and sustain
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competition coefficients
variables that convert between number of one species and the number of a competing species
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zero population growth isocline
population sizes at which a population experiences zero net growth (birth rates = death rates)
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exploitative competition
individuals consume and reduce a resource to an extent that other individuals cannot persist
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interference competition
when competitors do not (immediately) consume resources but guard them from others
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allelopathy
a type of interference that occurs when organisms use chemicals to harm competitors