Chapter 50: Introduction to Ecology
Terms
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- biomes
- major types of ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water
- ecosystem ecology
- study of energy flow and chemical cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components
- aphotic zone
- where little light penetrates
- ecotone
- the are of intergradation in biomes
- climograph
- plot of the temperatuer and precipitation in a particular region
- ecosystem
- all the abiotic factors in addition to the entire community of species that exist in a certain area
- biotic
- living components, all the organisms, or biota, that are part of the individual for food and other resources
- thermocline
- a narrow stratum of rapid temperature change
- abiotic
- nonliving components, chemical and physical factors such as temperature, light, water, and nutrients
- landscape ecology
- deals with arrays of ecosystems and how they are arranged in a region
- microclimate
- very fine patterns
- benthic zone
- at thew bottom of all aquatic zones
- population
- group of indiviuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area
- climate
- the prevailing weather conditions in a particular area
- photic zone
- zone where there is sufficient light for photosynthesis
- dispersal
- the movement of individuals away from centers of high population density
- biosphere
- the global ecosystem
- organismal ecology
- how and organism's structure, physiology, and behavior meet challenges posed by the environment
- macroclimate
- patterns on the global, regional, and local level
- community ecology
- deals with the whole array of interacting species in a community
- communioty
- all the organisms of all the species that inhabit a particular area
- detritus
- dead organic matter
- benthos
- communities of organisms which occupy the benthic zone
- ecology
- the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment
- population ecology
- concentrates on factors that affect how many individuals of a particular species live in an area
- precautionary principle
- an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure