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Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Biosphere

A

part of the earth in which life exists. including land, water, and air (aka atmosphere)

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2
Q

Ecosystem

A

all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment

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3
Q

autotroph/producer

A

organism that is able to capture energy from the sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds

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4
Q

heterotroph/consumer

A

organism that obtains food by consuming other living things

organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply

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5
Q

omnivore

A

organisms that obtain energy by eating both plants and animals

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6
Q

food web

A

network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

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7
Q

nutrient

A

chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life

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8
Q

climate

A

average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in an area over a long period of time. what is the average weather of an area

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9
Q

habitat

A

area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that effect it

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10
Q

herbivory

A

interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)

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11
Q

parasitism

A

symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it. (- +)

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12
Q

primary succession

A

succession that occurs in an area with no previous life/ community is present. no dirt or soil

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13
Q

population density

A

number of individuals per unit area

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14
Q

exponential growth

A

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

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15
Q

global warming

A

increase in the average temperatures on earth

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16
Q

renewable resource

A

resources that can be produced or replaced by healthy ecosystem functions (ex; solar power, water thing)

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17
Q

acid rain

A

rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids

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18
Q

habitat fragmentation

A

splitting of ecosystems into pieces

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19
Q

ozone layer

A

atmospheric layer in which ozone gas is relatively concentrated; protects life on earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunlight

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20
Q

chemosynthesis

A

process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates

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21
Q

density-dependent limiting factor

A

limiting factor that depends on population density

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22
Q

population

A

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

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23
Q

biome

A

a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

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24
Q

primary producer

A

first producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms

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25
Q

carnivore

A

organism that obtain energy by eating other animals

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26
Q

decomposer

A

organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

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27
Q

trophic level

A

each step in a food chain or web

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28
Q

limiting nutrient

A

factor that causes population growth to decrease

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29
Q

microclimate

A

environmental conditions within a small area that differs significantly from the climate in surrounding areas

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30
Q

niche

A

full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way the organism uses those conditions

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31
Q

keystone species

A

single species that is not abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community

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32
Q

commensalism

A

symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped or harmed

33
Q

secondary succession

A

type of succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbances. (has dirt/ soil)

34
Q

age structure

A

number of males and females of each age in a population

35
Q

logistic growth

A

growth pattern in which a population’s growth slows and then stops following a period of exponential growth

36
Q

ecological hot spot

A

small geographical area where significant numbers of habitats and species are in immediate danger of extinction

37
Q

desertification

A

lower land productivity caused by over farming, overgrazing, seasonal drought, and climate change

38
Q

nonrenewable resource

A

resource that cannot be replenished by a natural process within a reasonable amount of time. (ex. fossil fuels, coal)

39
Q

sustainable development

A

strategy for using natural resources without depleting them and for providing human needs without causing long-term environmental harm

40
Q

biological magnification

A

increasing concentration of a harmful substance in an organism at higher trophic levels in a food chain or food web

41
Q

community

A

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

42
Q

biotic factor

A

any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

43
Q

photosynthesis

A

process used by plants and other heterotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

44
Q

herbivore

A

organism that obtains food by consuming other living things

45
Q

detritivore

A

organism that feeds on plants and animal remains and other dead matter

46
Q

ecological pyramid

A

illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web

47
Q

weather

A

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

48
Q

tolerance

A

ability of an organism to survive and reproduce under circumstances that differ from their optimal conditions

49
Q

resource

A

any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, food, or space

50
Q

symbiosis

A

relationship in which two species live close together

51
Q

(ecological) succession

A

a series of more or less predictable changes that occur in a community over time

52
Q

wetland

A

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

53
Q

immigration

A

movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population. ( im= in)

54
Q

carrying capacity

A

largest number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support

55
Q

demography

A

scientific study of human populations

56
Q

ecological footprint

A

total amount of functioning ecosystem needed both to provide the resources a human population uses and to absorb the wastes that population generates

57
Q

pollutant

A

harmful material that can enter the biosphere through land, air, or water.

58
Q

biodiversity

A

total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere; also called biological diversity

59
Q

ecosystem diversity

A

variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere

60
Q

competitive exclusion principle

A

principle that states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

61
Q

density- independent limiting factor

A

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

62
Q

ecology

A

scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

63
Q

abiotic factor

A

physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem

64
Q

scavenger

A

animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals

65
Q

food chain

A

series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

66
Q

biomass

A

total amount of living tissue within a trophic level

67
Q

biogeochemical chain

A

process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another

68
Q

greenhouse effect

A

process in which certain gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor) trap sunlight energy in Earth’s atmosphere as heat

69
Q

predation

A

interaction in which one organism (the predator) captures and feeds on another organism (the prey)

70
Q

pioneer species

A

first species to populate an area during succession

71
Q

estuary

A

kind of wetland formed where a river meets the ocean

72
Q

smog

A

gray-brown haze formed by mixture of chemicals

73
Q

mutualism

A

symbiotic relationship in which both species benefits from the relationship

74
Q

emigration

A

movement of individuals out of an area

75
Q

limiting factor

A

factor that causes population growth to decrease

76
Q

monoculture

A

farming strategy of planting a single, highly productive crop year after year

77
Q

deforestation

A

destruction of forests

78
Q

genetic diversity

A

sum total of all the different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or by all the organisms on earth

79
Q

species diversity

A

number of different species that make up a particular area

Biology (16 decks)

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