Apex Biology - 11.1
Ecology and Ecosystems
Terms
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- intertidal zone
- The part of the coastline that is alternately covered with water and then exposed as the tide recedes.
- elevation
- Height to which something is raised above a point of reference such as the ground at sea level.
- gross primary productivity
- The rate at which energy is incorporated by autotrophs.
- trophic level
- A division of species in an ecosystem on the basis of their main source of nutrition.
- prevailing wind
- The predominant or usual wind direction in a given region.
- energy pyramid
- A diagram that shows the flow of energy among different trophic levels in a community.
- condensation
- Change in physical state of a substance from a gas to a liquid.
- latitude
- Angular distance north or south of the earth's equator, measured in degrees along a meridian, as on a map or globe.
- heterotroph
- An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms.
- detritivore
- An organism that obtains its energy by feeding on dead plants and animals.
- rain shadow
- The resulting less rain on the leeward side of a mountain due to the tendency of clouds to stay on the windward side of a mountain.
- water cycle
- The movement of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and land. (aka 'hydrologic cycle')
- weather
- The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure.
- temperate
- Characterized by moderate temperatures, weather, or climate.
- secondary consumer
- An organism that obtains its energy from the primary consumers in an ecosystem.
- coniferous
- Belonging to an order of trees or shrubs with true cones; includes pine, spruce, and many other species of evergreens.
- food web
- A diagram that shows the feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.
- net primary production
- The amount of energy available to heterotrophs.
- dew point
- The temperature at which the rate of condensation surpasses the rate of evaporation.
- nitrogen fixation
- The conversion, by certain soil bacteria, of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that plants and other organisms can be used to synthesize amino acids.
- solstice
- Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.
- biomass
- Quantitative estimate of the entire amount of living organisms in a particular habitat; measured in terms of volume, mass, or caloric energy.
- water table
- The upper layer of excess groundwater in the soil.
- food chain
- The pathway of energy transfer in an ecosystem that results from the feeding patterns of the organisms in the ecosystem.
- primary consumer
- An organism that obtains its energy from the primary producers in an ecosystem.
- local climate
- Climate in a very small geographic region.
- symbiont
- An organism living in symbiosis, which is the mutual relationship between two species of organisms in which both live together in a beneficial association.
- photic zone
- Any place in the ocean that light can reach.
- autotroph
- An organism that can synthesize its own food from inorganic substances.
- greenhouse gas
- A gas, like methane or carbon dioxide, that traps heat between the earth and the lower atmosphere.
- percolation
- The passage of a liquid through a porous substance or filter.
- denitrification
- The process by which nitrate and nitrite ions are converted to atmospheric nitrogen.
- aphotic zone
- The depth in the ocean where there is no light.
- deciduous
- Falling off or shed at a specific point in the growth cycle; often refers to trees that shed their leaves annually.
- estuary
- The wide part of a river where it nears the sea; fresh and salt water mix.
- equinox
- Either of two times of the year when the day and night are of equal length.
- runoff
- The process that carries water from streams and rivers back to the oceans.
- wind
- A natural movement of air, especially in a horizontal direction along the ground.
- biomass pyramid
- A diagram that shows the biomass of different trophic levels within a community.
- climate
- The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that are typical of a particular geographical region.
- erosion
- The process by which soil and other materials are worn away from the Earth's surface.
- nitrification
- The process by which nitrogen gas or ammonia is converted to nitrate and nitrite ions.
- evaporation
- The process by which a liquid changes into a gas.
- precipitation
- Any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the earth's surface.
- epiphyte
- A plant that grows on another plant rather than in soil, but doesn't take nutrients from the host plant.
- microclimate
- Climate of a small, specific place within an area such as an individual garden or hillside.
- ocean currents
- The steady flow of ocean water in a prevailing direction.
- tide
- The periodic rise and fall of all ocean waters resulting from the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun.