Ecology Test #1 Vocabulary

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absolute humidity: " amount of water present in a unit volume of air (e.g., g/L). "
acclimation: " compensatory change in response to a maintained deviation in a single environmental variable, usually in the laboratory. "
acclimatization: compensatory change in response to maintained deviations in more than one environmental variable; usually under natural conditions.
acute.: term applied to short term exposure to high levels of physical factors.
adaptation: any modification that promotes the likelihood of an organism's production of viable gene sets.
aerial: adapted for flying.
Allen's rule: " ecogeographic rule that maintains that within polytypic species, individuals from the northern part of the range tend to have relative1y shorter appendage length. "
alluvium: mineral component of soil arising from rivercarried materials.
alpha particle: " a helium nucleus; two protons plus two neutrons. Product of unstable isotopes, a form of radioactivity. "
arboreal: term applied to organisms highly adapted for living in trees.
autecology: study of organisms in relation to their physical environment; ecology of individuals or species.
Bergmann's rule: " within a polytypic species, individuals from the northern part of the range are larger than those from the southern part of the range. "
beta particle: positron (+ particle) or electron ( particle) produced as a result of decomposition of unstable isotopes.
biotic: biological; usually used to describe the components of factors such as the environment that are due to biological factors.
chronic: term which refers to situations in which organisms are exposed to low levels of a physical factor for a long period of time.
cline: variation in population characteristics over a geographic range; usually in conjunction with environmental v~riation and often a linear function of latitude.
convergent evolution: increasing similarity of relatively unrelated organisms: results from living in similar habitats.
crepuscular: active at twilight (dawn or dusk) or in the twilight zone of caves.
cursorial: adapted for a running mode of existence in open habitat; prairie animals.
diapause: period of inactivity in insects; overwintering in which the organism is resistant to cold. May be a temporary interruption in growth of larvae which is associated with a dormant period. Not a form of hypothermia.
diurnal: active during tight periods.
ecological indicator: species whose presence provides information about the nature of the local environment.
ecology: the study of the relationships between organisms and between organisms and their environment.
ecotype: genetically different populations restricted to different habitats; minor variations in form and physiology brought about by geographic differences in environment.
ectothermy: maintenance of body temperature by means of heat obtained outside of the body.
edaphic: " pertaining to, or influence by, soil conditions. "
endothermy: " maintenance of body temperature by means of heat produced within the body, usually by shivering. "
environment.: the sum total of all factors that influence organisms.
estivation: " avoid dry, hot conditions in a burrow or other protected location; not a form of hypothermia. "
eurythermal: having a wide tolerance to temperature.
evapotranspiration: the total water loss resulting from evaporation from plants (transpiration) and from all other surfaces in the community.
gamma ray: very shortwave electromagnetic radiation; produced as a result of the decay of unstable isotopes and may cause molecular and cellular damage in living organisms.
growth form: the phenotypic e <pression of the genotype as influenced by the environ me It.
halophyte: a plant which is highly tolerant of salinity.
halflife: the time required for onehalf of an amount of unstable isotope to break down to its next product. 1 heat a form of energy transferable between objects having different temperatures.
heterothermy: ability to be homeothermic or poikilothermic at turns; hibernators or animals who enter torpor regularly.
hibernation: a form of adaptive hypothermia in which animals spend the winter in protected sites; requires considerable physiological preparation such as changes in blood electrolytes and fat deposition.
homeotherm: " animal which maintains a relatively high, constant body temperature. "
hydric: wet; aquatic habitat.
hydrophyte: plant adapted to existence in a moist or aquatic habitat.
hypertonic: having an effective osmotic concentration higher than a reference solution.
hypotonic: having an effective osmotic concentration lower than a reference solution.
hypothermia.: having a body temperature lower than some normal standard.
isotonic: having the same osmotic concentration as some other reference solution.
lacustrine: " refers to mineral components of soil that originate in the benthic zone of lakes (e.g., marl). "
life form: characteristic structure of a plant or animal which reflects adaptation to a particular habitat.
loess: windcarried minerals which contribute locally to soils.
lower critical temperature: ambient temperature below which an endothermic homeotherm must increase its metabolic rate in order to maintain its body temperature. 7
marl: precipitated carbonates in the benthic zone of a lake.
mesic: intermediate; usually used to describe environmental conditions. 1 mesophyte plant best adapted to intermediate conditions.
mor soil: acidic soil having low invertebrate populations and low decomposition rates.
motile: capable of movement.
mull soil: neutral or basic soils which have large invertebrate populations and relatively great rates of decomposition.
nocturnal: active at night.
oikos: " Greek root for the word ""ecology""; means home or habitation. "
photoperiod.: the daily regime of light/dark.
photoperiodism: behavioral and/or physiological response to change in daily ratios of daylight/darkness.
poikilotherm: ~ organism whose body temperature is near that of ambient over most of the temperature range.
productive energy: surplus energy remaining after that necessary for basic
radiation: " part of the electromagnetic spectrum (light) or a particle produced by unstable, radioactive isotopes. "
rain shadow.: the region on the lee side of mountains where rainfall is lower than on the windward side.
relative humidity: the amount of water in the air relative to the amount at saturation under the same conditions.
respiration: sum total of metabolic processes reflected as the utilization of oxygen or production of carbon dioxide.
saltatorial: term used to refer to organisms highly adapted for jumping.
sessile: attached; immovable.
soil: " solid substrate of biotic communities composed of weathered, decomposed, organic and mineral components. "
specific heat: " capacity of a substance to take up energy; amount of energy that must be added to change temperature of a substance by a given amount (e.g., 1 calorie is required to raise the temperature of 1 g of water 1°C. "
stenohaline: narrow tolerance to salinity.
stenophagous: restricted food preference.
stenothermal.: having a narrow tolerance to temperature extremes.
synergism: interaction of factors such that the total effect is greater than expected.
taxis: directed movement.
temperature: an index of the kinetic energy of molecules.
torpidity: lowered body temperature accompanied by reduced respiration and loss of body movement; usually a temporary condition.
transpiration: evaporation of water from plant surfaces. 1 tropism directed growth.
ultimate factor: " aspect of the environment which promotes the survivorship and reproduction of an organism; reinforces response through natural selection (e.g., food for young as a result of timing of reproduction). "
upper critical temperature: the ambient temperature above which a homeotherm's body temperature rises sharply; thermoregulation cannot occur above this temperature.
vapor pressure deficit: difference between the water contents of two bodies as measured by partial pressure; indicates the direction and intensity of water movement.
xeric: " dry, arid. "
xerophyte: plant adapted to arid conditions.

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