Bio Unit Test Ecology
Terms
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- food web-
- network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem
- coniferous-
- term used to refer to trees that produce seed-bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles
- taiga-
- biome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw
- primary succession-
- a succession that occurs where no soil exists
- terrestrial-
- of or relating to the Earth or its inhabitants
- commensalism-
- a type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected.
- heterotroph-
- organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer
- coral reef-
- diverse and productive environment named for the coral animals that make up its primary structure
- photic zone-
- well-lit upper layer of the oceans
- population-
- group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area
- decomposer-
- bacteria
- plankton-
- tiny, free-floating organisms that occur in aquatic environments
- carnivore-
- organism that obtains energy by eating animals
- predation-
- interaction in which one organism captures and eats another organism
- pioneer plants-
- the first species to populate an area during a primary succession
- limiting nutrient-
- single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem
- omnivore-
- organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals
- free nitrogen-
- ~ process- nitrogen fixation(nitrogen fixing bacteria use free nitrogen in the atmosphere and the water to make nitrates) ~ changes to- nitrates
- algal bloom-
- an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient
- herbivore-
- rabbit
- climate-
- average, year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region
- photosynthesis-
- process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
- deciduous-
- term used to refer to a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year
- primary productivity-
- rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem
- permafrost-
- layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the tundra
- ammonia-
- ~ process 1- dentrification(dentrifying bacteria change ammonia into free nitrogen)(back to beginning of cycle) ~ changes to 1- free nitrogen ~ process 2- nitrification(nitrifying bacteria change ammonia back into nitrates) ~ changes to 2- nitrates
- nitrates-
- ~ process- absorption(plants absorb nitrates and use them to make plant proteins) ~ changes to- plant proteins
- Vocab
- Word Definition
- trophic level-
- step in a food chain or food web
- kelp forest-
- coastal ocean community named for its dominant organism—kelp, a giant brown alga
- benthos-
- organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor
- consumer-
- organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph
- nitrogen cycle-
- ~ nitrogen-found in amino and nucleic acids ~ nitrogen fixation- nitrogen in air can't be used directly (must be converted) ~ nitrogen is cycled through the environment as plants take it from bacteria ~ animals then eat plants
- when niches overlap-
- competition occurs
- humus-
- material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter
- understory-
- layer in a rain forest formed by shorter trees and vines
- secondary succession-
- a succession following a disturbance which destroyed a community but not the soil
- climax species-
- the dominant or most common species when an area is stable or mature.
- nitrogen fixation-
- process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
- ecological succession-
- a gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance
- niche-
- an organism's habitat, in addition to how, when, and where the organism obtains nutrients, reproduces, and its interaction with the environment
- chemosynthesis-
- process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
- weather-
- condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
- denitrification-
- conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas
- biomagnification-
- grass get fertilized-----rabbit eats lots of grass-----hawk eats lots of rabbits As the chemical pollutant is passed on from organism to organism the amount of pollution increases because of the amount of food each organism has to eat.
- species-
- group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
- aphotic zone-
- permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone
- competition-
- natural resources such as food, water, and space is limited
- wetland-
- ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year
- fauna-
- animals
- biosphere-
- part of Earth where life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere
- parasitism-
- a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed
- interspecific competition-
- when 2 organisms of different species overlap niches
- autotroph-
- organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer
- nutrient-
- chemical substance that an organism requires to live
- zooplankton-
- tiny animals that form part of the plankton
- producer-
- organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds; also called an autotroph
- zonation-
- prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat
- predator-
- hawk
- greenhouse effect-
- natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases
- canopy-
- dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees
- producer-
- grass
- temperate zone-
- moderate climate zone between the polar zones and the tropics
- Carbon / oxygen cycle-
- ~ carbon is found as a gas- CO2 or CO ~ found dissolved in water ~ found as solid- basic molecule in all organic compounds ~ palnts get carbon in areobic respirtion and consumers eat the palnt and get the carbon compnd for starches and sugars and is released when plants and animals in areobic resprition, decaying, and burning fossil fuels
- polar zone-
- cold climate zone where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle
- Biogeochemical cycle-
- 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
- mangrove swamp-
- coastal wetland dominated by mangroves, salt-tolerant woody plants
- community-
- assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area.
- transpiration-
- loss of water from a plant through its leaves
- plant proteins-
- ~ process- eat(animals eat plants and convert plant proteins into animal proteins) ~ changes to- animal proteins
- scavanger-
- vulture
- sun-
- constant energy source
- evaporation-
- process by which water changes from a liquid into an atmospheric gas
- salt marsh-
- temperate-zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line and by sea grasses under water
- habitat-
- a particular part of an environment where an organism lives.
- Water cycle steps-
- groundwater seepage, precipitation, respiration, runoff, excretion, transpiration, evaporation, photosynthesis, condensation.
- phytoplankton-
- population of algae and other small, photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the ocean and forming part of plankton
- biomass-
- total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
- tolerance-
- organism's capacity to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor
- animal proteins / plant proteins-
- ~ process- decay(bacteria of decay work on dead plants and animals, and wastes ~ changes to- ammonia
- decomposer-
- organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
- food chain-
- series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
- ecological pyramid-
- diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web
- detritivore-
- organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
- ecosystem-
- collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment
- estuary-detritus-
- wetlands formed where rivers meet the ocean
- ecology-
- the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
- intraspecific competition-
- competition within a species (survival of the fittest)
- herbivore-
- organism that obtains energy by eating only plants
- flora-
- plants
- biome-
- group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities
- omnivore-
- human
- carrying capacity-
- largest number of individuals in a population that a given environment can support
- microclimate-
- climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area
- tropical zone-
- warm climate zone that receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year round