Ecology Terms

Mutualism

+, + relationship Both interacting species benefit Example: bird eats ticks off of an elephant (bird gets food, and elephant has no more parasites), bird cleans teeth of an alligator (bird gets food, and alligator has clean teeth).

Herbivory

+, - relationship An animal eating a plant. Animal is benefited; plant is harmed.

Predation

+, - relationship An interaction in which one organism (the predator) captures and eats all of part of another individual organism (the prey).

Insectivore

+, - relationship Predator eats an insect. Predator is benefited; insect is harmed.

Parasitism

+, - relationship (parasite is helped/benefited, but the host is harmed.) One species (the parasite) feeds on, but does not always kill, another species (the host). "Good" parasites don't kill the host because they want to keep feeding on it each day.

Commensalism

+, 0 relationship One species benefits, and the other is not affected. Association between 2 or more species. One species' "success" is increased. The other species' "success" is not affected. Examples: cow walks through long grass and stirs up bugs, and birds come to eat the bugs (birds are benefited but has no effect on cows), nest in a tree (birds are benefited but tree isn't affected).

Competition

-, - relationship Interaction between organisms in which they "fight" for something, such as use of a resource like food. May cause competitive exclusion.

List and describe the five levels of organization from smallest to largest.

1) Organism- an individual living thing. 2) Population- group of organisms of the same species which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time. 3) Biological Community- all the populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time and interact. 4) Ecosystem- populations of plants and animals that interact with each other in a given area, along with the nonliving components, such as the depth of a stream, how much sunlight hits an area, etc. Community + Habitat = Ecosystem 5) Biosphere- broadest, most inclusive level, extends from 8 km. into the sky to 8 km. into the ocean.

On average, only __% of the total energy consumed in one trophic level is incorporated into organisms in the next.

10

Torpor

Abbreviated/shortened hibernation.

Crepuscular

Active at dawn and dusk

Nocturnal

Active at night

Diurnal

Active during the day

Mimicry

Adaptation in which a species gains an advantage by resembling another species or object.

Acclimation

Adjusting tolerance to abiotic factors over the course of a lifetime. Ex: dogs shed, people wear coats during the winter

Biotic Factors

All the living organisms that inhabit an environment. All organisms depend on others directly for food, shelter, reproduction, or protection.

Intertidal Zone

Alternately submerged and exposed by daily cycle of tides.

Biomass

Amount of organic matter comprising a group of organisms in a habitat. As you move up a food chain, biomass decreases.

Niche

An organism's total way of life. Ex: range of conditions it can tolerate, resources it uses, methods by which it obtains resources, number of offspring it has, time of reproduction, and all interactions with the environment.

Fauna

Animals

Detritivores

Animals that accurately seek to eat dead animals.

Limiting Factor

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment. Ex: amount of space, temperature

Symbiosis

Any relationship in which two species live closely together (symbiotic relationships).

Riffle

Area of fast-moving, churning water

Run

Area of smoothly moving water

Pool

Area of stagnant (still) water

Primary Succession

Assembly of a community on newly created habitat; occurs in areas that have been recently exposed to the elements and lack soil.

Producers

Autotrophs that capture energy and use it to make organic molecules.

Marine Biome

Biggest biome in the world (covers about 70% of Earth) Influences on weather: provides rain for crops through evaporation, circulates wind, and affects coastal temperatures; ocean has a big effect on whether it's sunny or cloudy Over 1 million species of plants and animals Scientists say as many as 9 million have not been discovered yet. 2 types of plants: plants that have roots at the bottom of the ocean and plants that float around in the water 3 types of animals: Zoo-plankton- drifting animals (usually small) Nektan- swimmers and usually larger than zoo-plankton Benthos- live or walk on the bottom of the ocean Benefits on people: use ocean for food, oil, medicine, recreation, and other resources The demand for these resources damages ecosystems. Pollution harms the marine ecosystem.

Biodiversity

Biological diversity; refers to the variety of life forms at all levels of organization, from the molecular to the landscape level.

Summer Breeders

Birds that mate in spring, and eggs hatch in summer

Pelagic Birds

Birds that spend a significant portion of their lives on the open ocean, rarely venturing to land except to breed (reduces competition).

Secondary Succession

Change in an existing community following a disturbance; occurs in areas where the original ecosystem has been cleared by a disturbance.

Ecological Succession

Change in the species' composition of a community over time.

Edge Effect

Changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats.

Conformers

Cold-Blooded Do not regulate internal conditions.

Tundra Biome

Coldest and driest biome Covers 1/5 of land on Earth Treeless plain Little rainfall Can reach below 0 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter and barely above 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer Moss and small shrubs (low plant diversity) Animals include lemmings, caribou, arctic hares, and polar bears Not many people live here People come to work in mining and oil industries

Winter Visitor

Come to another area (south) during the winter

Interspecific

Competition among individuals of different species.

Intraspecific

Competition among members of the same species.

Desert Biome

Covers about 1/5 of Earth Very hot during summer and warm throughout the rest of the year in hot and dry deserts Little rainfall during year, light rain in concentrated bursts during winter Evaporation rates are faster than rainfall rates Plant Adaptations- store and find water, some seeds stay dormant in sand until there is enough rain to grow Cacti in hot and dry deserts Provides people with tourism and recreation

Dispersion

Describes the distribution of individuals within the population and may be random, uniform (evenly distributed), or clumped.

Omnivores

Eat both producers and consumers (plants and animals)

Carnivores

Eat other consumers (animals)

Herbivores

Eat producers (plants)

Dispersal Mechanisms

Ex: Bird eats blueberries, poops out blueberry seeds, and seeds grow into blueberry bushes.

Adaptation

Genetic change in a species or population that occurs from generation to generation over time.

Prey Adaptations

Help to avoid being captured Examples: speed, intelligence, camouflage, defense (physical- shell, etc. and chemical- poisonous/venomous), hearing, stealth, swim or flight, size- big or small depending on situation, good sense of smell, strength, mimicry, etc.

Predator Adaptations

Help to efficiently capture prey Examples: speed, good vision, sharp teeth, strength, stealth, camouflage, sharp claws, size (be bigger than prey), intelligence, good hearing, strong sense of smell, venomous, flight, etc.

Ecological Models

Help to explain the environment.

Consumers

Heterotrophs that obtain energy by consuming organic molecules made by other organisms.

Grassland Biome

Hot summers and cold winters Lack of shelter for predators Abundance of grass for food Many trees and shrubs Similar animal populations all over grassland Converted to farmland because of fertile soil and flat land (many lost due to this)

Trophic Level

Indicates organism's position in a sequence of energy transfers. 1st Trophic Level = producers 2nd Trophic Level = herbivores 3rd Trophic Level = consumers

Age Structure

Indicates the percentage of individuals at each age.

Terrestrial

Inhabitant of the Earth.

Food Web

Interrelated food chains in an ecosystem.

The higher the trophic level, the ______ energy being received, supporting _________ individuals.

Less, fewer

Forest (Deciduous) Biome

Located in the Eastern U.S., Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and parts of Russia 4 seasons; hot, mild summers and cold, mild winters Bushes, trees, grass, and plants Plant Adaptations- trees lose leaves during fall and grow leaves back during the spring Animal Adaptations- osprey migrate, animals have to cope with seasons, bears hibernate, deer have a winter coat of fur and store fat Human Benefits- recreation, oxygen, food, hunting (food)

Freshwater Biome

Low salt concentration (less than 1%) Includes ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands Plants and animals adjust to low salt concentration and would not be able to survive in areas with high salt concentration. Plants provide oxygen and food for animals. Animals- fish, birds, insects, and crustaceans Benefits on people: provides fresh drinking water, energy and transportation, boating and fishing, and jobs for fishermen and researchers.

Substrate

May include sand, gravel, rock, or even bedrock. Since different organisms have different habitat requirements, a stream with a variety of substrate sizes will generally support a greater diversity of organisms. Some urban streams are mostly sand, while other urban streams are mostly rock.

Population Density

Measure of how crowded the population is; population size + size of land.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving parts of an organism's environment. Examples: temperature, humidity, pH, salinity, oxygen concentration, nitrogen availability, soil, and precipitation.

Species Richness

Number of species in a community.

Riparian

Of or relating to wetlands adjacent to rivers or streams.

Decomposers

Organisms that decompose organic material.

Estuary

Place where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean. Highly productive biome; important for fisheries and feeding places for water fowl. Breeding grounds for small fish.

Flora

Plants

Transpiration

Process where plants absorb water through the roots and then give off water vapor through pores in their leaves.

Population Growth Rate

Rate at which a population grows. (Birth Rate + Immigration) - (Death Rate + Emigration) = Growth Rate

Net Primary Productivity

Rate at which biomass accumulates.

Gross Primary Productivity

Rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture the energy in sunlight by producing organic compounds.

Salinity

Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water.

Conservation Biology

Scientific study of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions.

Migratory

See birds because they migrate back and forth

Realized Niche

Set of resources and habitats an organism actually used; it is generally much more restricted due to interspecific competition (or predation).

Fundamental Niche

Set of resources and habitats an organism could theoretically use under ideal conditions.

Food Chain

Single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem that results in energy transfer.

Invasive Species

Species that is a non-native or exotic to the local or regional ecosystem and whose introduction does or potentially can cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Components of biodiversity

Species variety, relative abundance of different species, and genetic variation within each species.

Bioindicator Species

Species which indicates how healthy an ecosystem is

Keystone Species

Species whose impact on its community or ecosystem are larger or greater than would be expected from its relative abundance or total biomass in the environment.

Climax Community

Stable end point

Permanent Residence

Stay in one area all year-round

Migration

Strategy for surviving unfavorable conditions through moving to a more favorable habitat.

Dormancy

Strategy for surviving unfavorable conditions through reduced activity. Ex: hibernation, camouflage

Buoyancy

The ability or tendency to float in water, air, or some other fluid.

Biota

The animal and plant life of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.

Turbidity

The cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally visible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air; key test of water quality.

Competitive Exclusion

The elimination of one species in a community due to competition.

Pioneer Species

The first to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems, beginning a chain of ecological succession that ultimately leads to a more biodiverse steady-state ecosystem.

Carrying Capacity

The number of animals a given area of land or water can support over time.

Population Size

The number of individuals that the population contains.

Habitat

The place where a plant or animal lives.

Pollution

The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

Extinction

The state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming extinct.

Ecology

The study of interactions between organisms and the living and nonliving components of their environment.

Biomes

The world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment.

Ecotourism

Tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, especially to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.

Regulators

Warm-Blooded Use energy to regulate internal conditions.

Detritus

Waste of debris of any kind