Flashcards

10% Rule-only about 10 percent of energy stored as biomass in a trophic level is passed from one level to the next. This is known as “the 10 percent rule” and it limits the number of trophic levels an ecosystem can support. 

Abiotic-An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. In a terrestrial ecosystem, examples might include temperature, light, and water. 

Adaptation-a modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence

Biodiversity-  The diversity of life forms in an environment.

Biomass- The total mass of all living matter in a specific area.

Biome-A biome is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.

Biotic- A biotic factor is a living organism that shapes its environment. In a freshwater ecosystem, examples might include aquatic plants, fish, amphibians, and algae.

Commensalism- A relationship between species in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped.

Community- In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time

Competition- Competition is an interaction between organisms or species in which both require a resource that is in limited supply.

Constants/Controlled Variables- any variable that's held constant in a research study.

Decomposers- Fungi or bacteria that recycle nutrients from dead tissues and wastes back into an ecosystem.

Detritivores- An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles.

Endangered Species- At serious risk of extinction

Ecology- Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.

Ecosystem-An ecosystem consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. 

Ecosystem Services- The process by which natural environments provide life-supporting resources.

Ecological Tolerance-The full potential range of the physical, chemical, and biological factors a species can use if there is no competition from other species.

Food Chain-The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers.

Indicator Species- An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. Indicator species can signal a change in the biological condition of a particular ecosystem, and thus may be used as a proxy to diagnose the health of an ecosystem

keystone Species- A species that is far more important in its community than its relative abundance might suggest.

Tragedy of the commons- The tragedy of the commons refers to a situation in which individuals with access to a public resource (also called a common) act in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resource. 

Trophic Level-Levels in the feeding structure of organisms. Higher trophic levels consume organisms from lower levels.

Trophic Pyramid-  A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels.

Food Web-A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)- The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time.

Invasive Species- An invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native.

Laws of Thermodynamics-“The first law of thermodynamics also known as the law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be changed from one form to another.” “The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy in an isolated system always increases.

Mutualism - An interaction between species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species.

Trophic Cascade- trophic cascade, an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain, which often results in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)-The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire.

Parasitism- A predator that lives on or in the organism it consumes.

Pioneer Species- A species that can colonize new areas rapidly.

Population - Population is a group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.

Primary Consumer-An individual incapable of photosynthesis; must obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Primary Succession-  Ecological succession occurring on surfaces that are initially devoid of soil.

Producer-An organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy.

Qualitative Data- Qualitative data is information that cannot be counted, measured or easily expressed using numbers

Quantitative Data- Quantitative data is the value of data in the form of counts or numbers where each data set has a unique numerical value.

Resource Partitioning- A situation in which two species divide a resource, based on differences in their behavior or morphology.

Scavengers- A carnivore that consumes dead animals

Secondary Consumer-A carnivore that eats primary consumers.

Secondary Succession- The succession of plant life that occurs in areas that have been disturbed but have not lost their soil.

Species Evenness- The relative proportion of different species in a given area.

Species Richness- The number of species in a given area.

Symbiosis- A relationship of two species that live in close association with each other.

Tertiary Consumer-A carnivore that eats secondary consumers.

Carbon Cycle- The movement or Carbon around the biosphere

Biogeochemical Cycle- The movement of matter within and between ecosystems

The Nitrogen Cycle- The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere

Nitrogen Fixation- converts N2 from the atmosphere.  Biotic processes convert N2 to ammonium NH4+ whereas abiotic processes convert N2 to Nitrate NO3-

Nitrification- Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonium NH4+ into nitrite NO2- and then into Nitrate NO3-

Assimilation- Producers take up either ammonium NH4+ or Nitrate NO3-.  Consumers assimilate Nitrogen by eating producers

Mineralization- Decomposers in soil and water breaks down biological nitrogen compounds into ammonium NH4+

Denitrification- In a series of steps, denitrifying bacteria in oxygen poor soil and stagnant water convert nitrate (nO3-_ into nitrous oxide N2O and eventually nitrogen gas N2

The phosphorus Cycle- The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere

Macronutrient-  one of 6 key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, sulfur

Limiting Nutrient- a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in lower quantities that other nutrients

Physical Weathering- The mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals

Chemical Weathering- The breakdown of rocks and minerals by chemical reactions, the dissolving of chemical elements from rocks, or both.

Erosion- The physical removal of rock fragments from an ecosystem or landscape

Acid Precipitation- Precipitation high in sulfuric acid and nitric acid from reactions between water vapor and sulfur and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere

Soil Degradation- The loss of some or all of the soils ability to support plant growth

Horizon- A Horizontal layer in the soil that is defined by distinctive physical features such as texture and color.

O Horizon- The organic  horizon at the surface of many soils, composed of organic  detritus in various stages of decomposition.

Humus- The most fully decomposed organic matter in the lowest section of the O horizon.

A Horizon- frequently the top layer of soil, a zone of organic matter and minerals that have been mixed together.  Also known as Topsoil.

E Horizon- A zone of leaching, or eluviation, found in some acidic soils under the O horizon or, less often, the A Horizon.

B Horizon- a soil horizon composed primarily of mineral material with very little organic matter.

C Horizon- The least-weathered soil horizon, which always occurs beneath the B horizon and is similar to the parent material.

Permeability- how quickly soil drains

Porosity - the fraction of the total soil volume that is taken up by pore  space

Cation Exchange Capacity- The ability of a particular soil to adsorb and release cations

Parent Material- The underlying rock material from which the inorganic components of soil are derived