Download Ecology Vocabulary Flash Cards

Ecology Vocabulary
1. biotic: living things (you, plant, bacteria)
2. abiotic: non-living things (sunlight, temperature, water, air)
3. niche: a specific organsism’s habitat and lifestyle
4. predator: eats prey (lion)
5. prey: eaten by predator (gazelle, mouse)
6. symbiosis: relationship between 2 different species
7. mutualism: relationship in which both organisms benefit (+, +); bee and flower
8. parasitism: relationship in which one organism benefits and one is harmed (+. -); tick
9. commensalism: relationship in which one organism is benefited, while the other is left
unharmed (+, 0); moss on a tree.
10. limiting factors: things that limit the size of a population (climate, food, predation)
11. carrying capacity: maximum number of organisms an environment can support
12. producer: makes sugars for food; autotroph (plants, algae)
13. consumer: must eat other organisms for food; heterotroph (mouse, human)
14. decomposer: breaks down and recycles dead organisms (bacteria, fungus)
15. trophic level: level on an energy pyramid (producers, primary consumer…)
16. herbivore: only eats plants (rabbit)
17. carnivore: only eats animals (lion)
18. omnivore: eats plants and animals (bear)
19. Ecology: The study of ecosystems
20. Ecosystem: How organisms/communities (biotic) interact with their environment (abiotic).
21. Habitat: The location where an organism lives
22. Niche: An organisms role (herbivore, scavenger, decomposer)
23. Biodiversity: A measurement of the number of different organisms living in a specific area.
24. Food chain: The energy flow between trophic levels (primary producers, primary
consumers. secondary consumers…)usually made up of 4 or 5 links (each link is a organism).
25. Food web: made up of food chains. It also represents Predator/prey relationships (who
eats who).
26. Pioneer Species: the first organisms to live in a new habitat; usually small, fast growing
plants
27. Climax community: An stable community achieved after succession.
28. Succession: The gradual change of an ecosystem to a more stable one (an established
forest).
29. Primary Succession: The gradual growth of organism in areas where they have not grown
before (ex: volcanoes, receding glaciers)
30. Secondary Succession: The gradual growth of organisms in areas where there has been
previous growth, but was destroyed or disturbed. (ex: forest fires, forest clearings)
31. Biomass: the dry weight of tissue and other organic matter found in a specific ecosystem
32. Coevolution: Gradual change over a long period of time, in two or more organism and the
way they interact.
33. Nutrification/ Eutrophication. Excess nutrients are introduced into ecosystems causing
overpopulation of some species and therefore affecting everything else.
Levels of structure
Cell  Tissue Organ Organ system Organism Population Community Ecosystem
 Biome Biosphere.
Biomes:
A region characterized by a specific type of climate, plants and animals communities.
Tropical Rain forest:
- High Biodeversity, no real seasons, located along the equator.
Rainfall: An average of 50 to 260 inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly.
Temperature and Climate: The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F or drops
below 68 °F; it is very humid.
Layers: The Rainforest layers are known as the emergent, upper canopy (most organisms live here),
understory, and forest floor.
Plant adaptations: leafs are waxy and have channels to get rid-off excess water, aerial plants, and
vines. Forest floor is very humid and does not get much sunlight.
Animal adaptations: Most are small, very colorful (they may be venomous).
Deciduous Forest/ Temperate Forest
This is the biome we live in.
Deciduous – Lose their leaves during fall.
Rainfall: The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches a year.
Temperature and Climate: The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F with four
separate seasons.
Plant adaptation: Trees loose their leaves
Animal adaptation: Animals get thick fur, migrate, or hibernate.
Dry Desert
- Hot during the day, very cold during the night
Rainfall: Low rainfall, typically less than 10 inches per year.
Temperature and Climate: Average summer temperature is 100o F, winter and evening temperatures
can be as low as 45o F.
Plant adaptation: Plants don’t have leaves (cactus) to reduce evaporation, adapted to conserve and
retain water.
Animal adaptation: Most as nocturnal, adapted for the extreme heat and low water.
Tundra
- The tundra has permafrost (soil that is frozen year round). This makes it impossible for trees to grow
in the Tundra.
Rainfall: Average of 12 – 20 inches of rain annually.
Temperature and Climate: Very cold, temperature ranges from -10o – 50o F.
Plant adaptation: small plants can grow during the warm season.
Animal Adaptation: Animals have thick fur/layer of fat, hibernation. Coat color may be white.
Grasslands
- Soil in Grassland biomes is thin and does not support many trees. There is a wet season and a dry
season. Trees may not survive the dry season or the fires.
Rainfall: Average annual rainfall is 10 – 29 in. sometimes with long periods of no rain.
Temperature and Climate: Temperature ranges from 32oF – 85oF.
Plant adaptation: most grasses, plants grow in groups.
Animal adaptation: Large animals (elephant, lion, zebras), camouflage.
Taiga/ Coniferous Forest
- Referred to as Coniferous forests because of the high numbers of Conifer (Gymnosperm) trees. Pine
trees.
Rainfall: Annual rainfall ranges from 14 – 30 in.
Temperature and Climate: Typically have long, cold winters, temperature ranges from 14o F – 50o F.
Plant adaptation: Trees are evergreens (pine trees), their shape helps them remove snow.
Plant adaptation: Triangular shape of pine trees, needles for leaves (they last for 1.5 – 40 years).
Animal adaptation: Thick fur, camouflage, migration.
Marine
- Includes coral reefs, estuaries and oceans.
- Covers approximately 75% of the Earth (all salt water).
- Phytoplankton and kelp produce 50% of the worlds oxygen.
- Most land animals do not interact with marine biomes because of high salt (they can’t drink marine
water).
- Temperature remains constant due to water.
Fresh Water
- Less than 1% salt concentration.
- Includes ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.
- Land animals interact and depend on fresh water biomes.
Food Web
- Each organism is a link. The way the arrows point is very important.
decomposer
Sun
Energy pyramid
- 10% rule. Only 10 percent of the total energy is transfer as you go up the trophic levels (ex. if the
producers have 1000 points of energy, only 10% of that energy is transferred to the primary consumers
and so on).
Least energy
1
10
100
1000
Most energy
Types of Consumers:
Herbivores- eat plants
Carnivores- eat other
Omnivores- eat both plants
animals
and animals
Scavengers – eat dead
Decomposers – break down
animals
dead organisms
Succession
Primary Succession
- Takes a long time
- Soil needs to form
- No previous life
Pioneer organisms
Lichens, moss
Climax community
Secondary Succession
-After a disaster (fire, flood)
- Life before disaster
-Recovers faster
- Soil already established
Pioneer organisms
Grasses, weeds (small
Fast growing plants)
Climax community
Primary Succession
Differences
Secondary Succession
Pioneer Organism
Differences
Climax Community