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Glossary Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the definition of Biotic?

A

Living things (animals, plants, bacteria)

Biotic factors are essential in ecosystems as they interact with abiotic factors.

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2
Q

What does Abiotic refer to?

A

Non-living things (water, sunlight, air, rocks)

Abiotic factors influence the environment and living organisms.

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3
Q

Define Autotrophs.

A

Organisms that make their own food (plants, algae)

Autotrophs are primary producers in ecosystems.

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4
Q

What are Producers?

A

Same as autotrophs; they create energy from sunlight

Producers are crucial for energy flow in ecosystems.

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5
Q

What are Heterotrophs?

A

Organisms that eat other things for energy

Heterotrophs include herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

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6
Q

Define Consumers.

A

Same as heterotrophs; they eat plants or animals

Consumers play a vital role in food chains.

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7
Q

What is a Food Chain?

A

A line that shows who eats who for energy

Food chains illustrate energy transfer in ecosystems.

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8
Q

What does Trophic Level mean?

A

Each step in a food chain (producers, herbivores, predators, etc.)

Trophic levels help in understanding energy flow.

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9
Q

Define Food Web.

A

Many connected food chains in an ecosystem

Food webs provide a more complex view of energy flow.

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10
Q

What are Herbivores?

A

Animals that eat only plants

Herbivores are primary consumers in the food chain.

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11
Q

What are Carnivores?

A

Animals that eat only meat

Carnivores are secondary or tertiary consumers.

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12
Q

What defines Omnivores?

A

Animals that eat both plants and meat

Omnivores can occupy multiple levels in the food chain.

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13
Q

Define Detritivores.

A

Organisms that eat dead plants and animals (worms, crabs)

Detritivores play a key role in nutrient cycling.

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14
Q

What are Decomposers?

A

Organisms that break down dead things (bacteria, fungi)

Decomposers are essential for recycling nutrients in ecosystems.

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15
Q

What is an Energy Pyramid?

A

A diagram showing how energy decreases at each trophic level

Energy pyramids illustrate the inefficiency of energy transfer.

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16
Q

What does Biomass refer to?

A

The total amount of living things in an area

Biomass is an important measure in ecology.

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17
Q

Define Biological Amplification/Bioaccumulation.

A

When toxins build up more in animals as you go up the food chain

This process can lead to harmful effects on top predators.

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18
Q

What are Chloroplasts?

A

Tiny parts in plant cells that help make food from sunlight

Chloroplasts are crucial for photosynthesis.

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19
Q

What is Chlorophyll?

A

The green stuff in plants that helps capture sunlight for energy

Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis.

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20
Q

Define Photosynthesis.

A

The process plants use to turn sunlight into food

Photosynthesis is vital for energy production in plants.

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21
Q

What is Cellular Respiration?

A

How cells turn food into energy they can use

Cellular respiration is a key metabolic process.

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22
Q

What is a Population?

A

A group of the same species living in one place

Populations are studied in ecology to understand species dynamics.

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23
Q

Define Community.

A

All the different living things in an area

Communities include various species interacting with each other.

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24
Q

What does Succession mean?

A

Natural changes in ecosystems over time

Succession can be primary or secondary.

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25
What is a Habitat?
Where an organism lives ## Footnote Habitats provide the necessary resources for organisms.
26
Define Niche.
An organism’s role in its environment (what it does, eats, etc.) ## Footnote Niche differentiation helps reduce competition.
27
What is Natality?
Birth rate (how many are born) ## Footnote Natality is a key factor in population dynamics.
28
Define Mortality.
Death rate (how many die) ## Footnote Mortality affects population size and health.
29
What is Biotic Potential?
The fastest a species could grow under perfect conditions ## Footnote Biotic potential is theoretical and assumes unlimited resources.
30
What are Limiting Factors?
Things that slow down population growth (food, water, space) ## Footnote Limiting factors can be biotic or abiotic.
31
What is Emigration?
When organisms leave a population ## Footnote Emigration can affect population size and genetic diversity.
32
Define Immigration.
When organisms enter a population ## Footnote Immigration can introduce new genes to a population.
33
What does Population Density refer to?
How many organisms live in a certain space ## Footnote Population density affects competition and resource availability.
34
What is a J-Shaped Growth Curve?
When a population grows super fast with no limits ## Footnote This growth is often seen in invasive species.
35
Define Carrying Capacity.
The maximum number of organisms an area can support ## Footnote Carrying capacity is determined by available resources.
36
What is Logistic Growth?
Population growth that slows down when it reaches carrying capacity ## Footnote Logistic growth is more realistic than exponential growth.
37
What are Intraspecies Interactions?
Interactions between the same species ## Footnote These interactions can include competition and cooperation.
38
Define Interspecies Interactions.
Interactions between different species ## Footnote Interspecies interactions can be competitive, predatory, or mutualistic.
39
What is Predation?
When one animal eats another ## Footnote Predation is a key ecological interaction.
40
Define Parasitism.
One organism benefits, the other is harmed (like fleas on a dog) ## Footnote Parasitism can have significant impacts on host populations.
41
What is Parasitoidism?
One organism lays eggs inside another, and the larvae eat it from the inside out ## Footnote This interaction is common in certain insect species.
42
What does Herbivory mean?
When animals eat plants ## Footnote Herbivory can shape plant community structures.
43
Define Interspecies Competition.
Different species compete for the same resources ## Footnote Interspecies competition can lead to resource partitioning.
44
What is Commensalism?
One benefits, the other is not helped or harmed ## Footnote Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship.
45
Define Mutualism.
Both organisms benefit ## Footnote Mutualism can enhance survival and reproduction for both species.
46
What is Primary Succession?
When life starts from bare rock (like after a volcano) ## Footnote Primary succession can take a long time to establish a stable ecosystem.
47
What are Pioneer Communities?
The first organisms to live in an empty area (like moss and lichen) ## Footnote Pioneer species are crucial for initiating primary succession.
48
Define Secondary Succession.
When life regrows after a disturbance (like a wildfire) ## Footnote Secondary succession typically occurs faster than primary succession.
49
What is DNA?
A molecule that stores genetic information ## Footnote DNA is fundamental to all living organisms.
50
Define Genes.
Sections of DNA that give instructions for traits ## Footnote Genes are the basic units of heredity.
51
What is a Nitrogenous base?
The parts of DNA that pair up (A, T, C, G) to form the code ## Footnote Nitrogenous bases are crucial for DNA structure.
52
What does Five-carbon sugar refer to?
A sugar in DNA (called deoxyribose) that helps form its backbone ## Footnote The sugar component is essential for DNA stability.
53
Define Phosphate group.
A part of the DNA backbone that connects sugars together ## Footnote Phosphate groups are vital for the structural integrity of DNA.
54
What is a Double-helix?
The twisted ladder shape of DNA ## Footnote The double-helix structure is crucial for DNA replication.
55
What is a Chromosome?
A structure made of DNA that carries many genes ## Footnote Chromosomes are essential for genetic inheritance.
56
Define Protein.
A molecule made from genes that does work in the body ## Footnote Proteins are involved in nearly every biological process.
57
What is a Trait?
A characteristic (like eye color) that comes from your genes ## Footnote Traits can be influenced by genetics and environment.
58
Define Adaptations.
Traits that help an organism survive in its environment ## Footnote Adaptations can be structural, behavioral, or physiological.
59
What does Morphology refer to?
The shape and structure of an organism ## Footnote Morphology is vital for classification and understanding function.
60
What are Interspecies Relationships?
Interactions between different species (like predation or mutualism) ## Footnote These relationships can influence community dynamics.
61
Define Variation.
Differences in traits among individuals in a population ## Footnote Variation is essential for natural selection.
62
What is the Law of Use and Disuse?
Lamarck’s idea that traits get stronger with use and weaker with disuse ## Footnote This concept has been largely discredited in modern biology.
63
What is Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics?
Lamarck’s idea that traits gained during life can be passed to offspring ## Footnote This idea contrasts with modern genetic understanding.
64
Define Natural Selection.
The process where individuals with the best traits survive and reproduce more ## Footnote Natural selection is a key mechanism of evolution.
65
What is Speciation?
The formation of a new species over time through evolution ## Footnote Speciation can occur through various mechanisms, including geographic isolation.
66
What does Biogeography study?
The study of where species live and how they got there ## Footnote Biogeography helps explain species distribution patterns.
67
Define Homologous Structures.
Body parts with similar structure but different functions, showing common ancestry ## Footnote Homologous structures provide evidence for evolution.
68
What are Analogous Structures?
Body parts with similar function but different structure, showing no close common ancestry ## Footnote Analogous structures arise from convergent evolution.
69
What is Divergent Evolution?
When related species become more different over time ## Footnote Divergent evolution often leads to speciation.
70
Define Convergent Evolution.
When unrelated species develop similar traits due to similar environments ## Footnote Convergent evolution demonstrates how adaptations arise.
71
What are Vestigial Structures?
Body parts that no longer serve a function but were useful to ancestors ## Footnote Vestigial structures provide insights into an organism's evolutionary history.
72
What is Microevolution?
Small genetic changes within a population over time ## Footnote Microevolution can lead to noticeable changes in populations.
73
Define Mutation.
A change in DNA that introduces new genetic variation ## Footnote Mutations are a primary source of genetic diversity.
74
What is a Gene pool?
The total collection of alleles in a population ## Footnote The gene pool reflects the genetic diversity of a population.
75
What is Gene flow?
Movement of genes between populations through migration ## Footnote Gene flow can increase genetic diversity within populations.
76
Define Alleles.
Different forms of a gene ## Footnote Alleles contribute to genetic variation within a population.
77
What is Genetic drift?
Random changes in allele frequencies, especially in small populations ## Footnote Genetic drift can lead to significant evolutionary changes.
78
What is Founder effect?
Reduced genetic diversity when a few individuals start a new population ## Footnote Founder effect can lead to unique evolutionary paths.
79
Define Macroevolution.
Large-scale evolutionary changes that form new species or groups ## Footnote Macroevolution encompasses significant evolutionary events.
80
What is Adaptive radiation?
One species evolves into many different forms to fit various environments ## Footnote Adaptive radiation often occurs after mass extinctions.
81
Define Coevolution.
Two species evolve in response to changes in each other ## Footnote Coevolution often occurs in mutualistic relationships.
82
What does Punctuated equilibrium mean?
Evolution occurs in rapid bursts, followed by long periods of little change ## Footnote This model contrasts with gradualism in evolutionary theory.
83
What is Biodiversity?
The variety of all living things on Earth ## Footnote Biodiversity is crucial for ecosystem resilience and stability.
84
Define Taxonomy.
The science of classifying organisms ## Footnote Taxonomy helps organize biological diversity.
85
What is a Species?
A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring ## Footnote Species are the basic units of biological classification.
86
What does Hierarchical mean in taxonomy?
A system arranged in levels from broad to specific ## Footnote Hierarchical classification helps in organizing species.
87
What is Binomial nomenclature?
A two-part naming system for species using genus and species names (e.g., Homo sapiens) ## Footnote This system standardizes species naming in biology.

Bio Unit 1 (11 decks)

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