Terms : Hide Images
| 8252518118 | Community Ecology | The study of interactions between species. | 0 | |
| 8252525760 | Symbiotic Relationship | The relationship between two species that live in close association with each other. | 1 | |
| 8252533364 | Competition | The struggle of individuals to obtain a shared limiting resource. | 2 | |
| 8252565069 | Competitive Exclusion Principle | The principle stating that two species competing for the same limiting resource cannot coexist. | 3 | |
| 8252577878 | Niche | The interrelationship of a species with all the biotic and abiotic factors affecting it. | 4 | |
| 8252584631 | Resource Partitioning | When two species divide a resource based on differences in their behavior or morphology. | 5 | |
| 8252599593 | Temporal Resource Partitioning | When species utilize the same resources but at different times. | 6 | |
| 8252605884 | Spatial Resource Partitioning | When two species reduce competition for resources by using different habitats. | 7 | |
| 8252616519 | Morphological Resource Partitioning | The evolution of differences in body size or shapes in order to reduce competition. | 8 | |
| 8252625593 | Predation | An interaction in which one animal typically kills and consumes another animal. | 9 | |
| 8252631181 | Parasitoid | A specialized type of predator that lays eggs inside other organisms (its host). | 10 | |
| 8252641915 | Pathogen | A parasite that causes a disease in its host. | 11 | |
| 8252648703 | Parasitism | An interaction in which one organism lives on or in another organism, benefitting from it. | 12 | |
| 8252663445 | Herbivory | An interaction in which an animal consumes a producer. | 13 | |
| 8252667993 | Mutualism | An interaction between two species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species. | 14 | |
| 8252676167 | Commensalism | A relationship between species in which one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped. | 15 | |
| 8252685504 | Keystone Species | A species that plays a far more important role in its community than its relative abundance might suggest. | 16 | |
| 8252692472 | Ecosystem Engineer | A keystone species that creates or maintains habitat for other species. | 17 | |
| 8252709163 | Fundamental Niche | The entire set of conditions under which an animal can survive and reproduce. | 18 | |
| 8252709164 | Realized Niche | The set of conditions actually used by given animal after interactions with other species have been taken into account. | 19 | |
| 8252728193 | Ecological Succession | The predictable replacement of one group of species by another group of species over time. | 20 | |
| 8252738314 | Primary Succession | Ecological succession occuring on surfaces that are initially devoid of soil. | 21 | |
| 8252745975 | Secondary Succession | The succession of plant life that occurs in areas that have been disturbed but have not lost their soil. | 22 | |
| 8252758751 | Pioneer Species | A species that can colonize new areas rapidly and grow well in full sunshine. | 23 | |
| 8252766165 | Climax Community | A concept that there is a final stage in succession, with the oldest forests being this stage. However, this is out of favor because natural disturbances occur regularly so there can be no final succession stage. | 24 | |
| 8252805540 | Rocky Intertidal Zone | Area often re-colonized often due to constant natural disturbances. | 25 | |
| 8252830978 | Species Richness | The number of different species represented in an ecological community, landscape or region. The basic processes that determine this are: colonization of an area by a new species, speciation within the area and losses from the area by extinction. | 26 | |
| 8252857512 | Theory of Island Biogeography | A theory that demonstrates the dual importance of habitat size and distance in determining species richness. | 27 | |
| 8252868142 | Habitat Island | A habitat surrounded by less hospitable land, | 28 | |
| 8252909585 | Biodiversity | The variety of life in the world, a particular ecosystem or habitat. Which is difficult to quantify because although some species are easy to find, others only come out at certain times, live in unaccesible places, or can only be visible under a microscope. | 29 | |
| 8252928684 | Species Eveness | The relative proportion of individuals within the different species in a given area. | 30 | |
| 8252937375 | Shannon's Index | Accounts for species abundance and eveness by calculating how many species there are and how evenly distributed they are. -Σ(pi(ln(pi)) | 31 | |
| 8252945233 | Phylogeny | The branching pattern of evolutionary relationships, which is determined by the similarity of traits. | 32 | |
| 8252953864 | Evolution | A change in the genetic composition of a population over time. | 33 | |
| 8252960652 | Microevolution | Evolution bellow the species level. | 34 | |
| 8252964874 | Macroevolution | Evolution that gives rise to new species, genera, families, classes or phyla. | 35 | |
| 8253073133 | Gene | A physical location on the chromosomes within each cell of an organism. | 36 | |
| 8253363451 | Alleles | Forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome. | 37 | |
| 8253363452 | Genotype | The complete set of genes in an individual. | 38 | |
| 8253363453 | Phenotype | A set of traits expressed by an individual. | 39 | |
| 8253363454 | Mutation | A random, change in the genetic code produced by a mistake in the copying process. They can be passed on if they occur in cells responsible for reproduction. | 40 | |
| 8253375633 | Recombination | The genetic process by which one chromosome breaks off ant attaches to another chromosome during reproductive cell division. | 41 | |
| 8253381657 | Evolution by Artificial Selection | The process in which humans determine which individuals breed, typically with a preconceived set of traits in mind. | 42 | |
| 8253387689 | Alfred Wallace | A British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist who came up with a theory of national selection independently of Charles Darwin. | 43 | |
| 8253387690 | Charles Darwin | Author of "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". His key ideas for a theory of evolution by natural selection were: - Individuals produce an excess of offspring. - Not all offspring can survive. - Individuals differ in their traits. - Differences in traits can be passed on from parents to offspring. - Differences in traits are asociated with differences in the ability to survive and reproduce. | 44 | |
| 8253420206 | Evolution by Natural Selection | The process in which the environment determines which individuals survive and reproduce. | 45 | |
| 8253425730 | Fitness | An individual's ability to survive and reproduce. | 46 | |
| 8253427939 | Adaptation | A trait that improves an individual's fitness. | 47 | |
| 8253431188 | Gene Flow | The process by which individuals move from one population to another and thereby alter the genetic composition of both populations. | 48 | |
| 8253439296 | Genetic Drift | A change in the genetic composition of a population over time as a result of random mating. | 49 | |
| 8253444722 | Bottleneck Effect | A reduction in the genetic diversity of a population caused by a reduction in its size. | 50 | |
| 8253449114 | Extinction | The death of the last member of a species. | 51 | |
| 8253451156 | Flounder Effect | A change in the genetic composition of a population as a result of descending from a small number of colonizing individuals. | 52 | |
| 8253456522 | Geographic Isolation | Physical separation of a group of individuals from others of the same species. | 53 | |
| 8253458468 | Allopatric Speciation | The process of speciation that occurs with geographic isolation. | 54 | |
| 8253461430 | Reproductive Isolation | The result of two populations within a species evolving separately to the point that they can no longer interbreed and produce viable offspring. | 55 | |
| 8253468362 | Sympatric Speciation | The evolution of one species into two, without geographic isolation. | 56 | |
| 8253473189 | Polyploidy | When the number of sets of chromosomes increases to more than two which can occur during the division of reproductive cells. | 57 | |
| 8253479507 | Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) | An organism produced by copying genes from a species with a desirable trait and inserting them into another species. | 58 | |
| 8253485795 | Range of Tolerance | The limits to the abiotic conditions that a species can tolerate. | 59 | |
| 8253489032 | Distribution | Areas of the world in which a species lives. | 60 | |
| 8253491743 | Niche Generalist | A species that can live under a wide range of abiotic or biotic conditions. | 61 | |
| 8253494580 | Niche Specialist | A species that is specialized to live in a specific habitat or to feed on a small group of species. | 62 | |
| 8253498820 | Mass Extinction | A large extinction of species in a relatively short period of time. | 63 | |
| 8253504120 | 5 | How many Mass Extinctions have occurred to date? | 64 | |
| 8253508400 | True (caused by humans: habitat destruction, overharvesting, introductions of invasive species, climate change and emerging diseases) | True or False: Are we currently in a mass extinction? | 65 | |
| 8253521731 | Terrestrial Biome | A geographic region categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms on land. | 66 | |
| 8253525964 | Aquatic Biome | An aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth and water flow. | 67 | |
| 8253529674 | Tundra | A cold, treeless biome with low growing vegetation. Some of the plants that grow here are small woody shrubs, mosses, heaths, lichens which can grow in shallow, waterlogged soil and can survive short growing seasons and bitterly cold winters. | 68 | |
| 8253542682 | Permafrost | An impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil. | 69 | |
| 8253545896 | Boreal Forest | A forest biome made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons. They are subarctic biomes with very cold temperatures. Although they provide little agricultural value, they serve as an important source of trees for pulp, paper and building materials. | 70 | |
| 8253560751 | Temperate Rainforests | A coastal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation. They allow for the growth of immensely tall trees which can live for hundreds of years. These trees are often used for lumber. | 71 | |
| 8253570723 | Temperate Seasonal Forest | A biome with warm summers and cold winters and over 1 m of precipitation annually. They are dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees and can be used for agriculture on a large scale. | 72 | |
| 8253582763 | Woodland/Shrubland | A biome characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Typical plants in this biome include drought and wild fire resistant shrubs. It is used for grazing by livestock and to produce drought tolerant products such as wine grapes. | 73 | |
| 8264238165 | Temperate Grassland/Cold Dessert | A biome characterized by cold, harsh winters and hot, dry summers. Typical plants of this biome include grasses and non-woody flowering plants which are generally well adapted to wild fires and grazing by animals. This biome is also very agriculturally productive and good for grazing animals. | 74 | |
| 8264266982 | Tropical Rainforest | A warm and wet biome found between 20 degrees N and 20 degrees S of the equator with little seasonal variation and high precipitation. They have more biodiversity than any other terrestrial biome and its forests have several layers of vegetation. This soil is rich in nutrients which is great for agriculture; however, the high rate of decomposition causes soil to lose their fertility quickly so farmers have to keep moving to newly deforested areas. | 75 | |
| 8264314947 | Tropical Seasonal Forest/Savanna | A biome marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet/dry seasons. In areas with the longest dry seasons, the landscape becomes relatively open and dominated by grasses and scattered deciduous trees. Grazing and fires discourage the growth of many smaller woody plants. This biome is fairly good for agriculture and grazing. | 76 | |
| 8264365298 | Subtropical Desert | A biome prevailing at approximately 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S with hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions and sparse vegetation. Cacti, euphorbs and succulent plants are well adapted to this biome. | 77 | |
| 8264397210 | Canopy | The first layer of vegetation made up of the largest trees in the forest. | 78 | |
| 8264401067 | Sub-canopy | Several layers of successively smaller trees under the canopy. | 79 | |
| 8264405222 | Epiphytes | Plants that hold small pools of water and support small aquatic ecosystems. | 80 | |
| 8264421741 | Annual Plants | Plants that live only for a few months reproduce and die, growing rapidly during periods of rain. | 81 | |
| 8264432117 | Perennial Plants | Plants that live for many years and experience spurts of growth when it rains, but then exhibit little growth during the rest of the year, making them particularly vulnerable to disturbance. | 82 | |
| 8264453709 | Rapids | Stretches of turbulent waters in fast-moving streams and rivers where water and air are mixed together. | 83 | |
| 8264470336 | Littoral Zone | The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and emergent plants grow. | 84 | |
| 8264482631 | Limnetic Zone | A zone of open water in lakes and ponds. | 85 | |
| 8264489302 | Phytoplankton | Floating algae. | 86 | |
| 8264496346 | Profundal Zone | A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone of very deep lakes. | 87 | |
| 8264509962 | Benthic Zone | The muddy bottom of a lake, pond or ocean. | 88 | |
| 8264517269 | Oligotrophic | A lake with a low level of productivity. | 89 | |
| 8264521974 | Mesotrophic | A lake with a moderate level of productivity. | 90 | |
| 8264528461 | Eutrophic | A lake with a high level of productivity. | 91 | |
| 8264541323 | Freshwater wetlands | An aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation. They are important ecologically because they provide several ecosystem services such as taking large amounts of rain water and releasing it slowly into groundwater, thus reducing the severity of floods and droughts and filtering the water. | 92 | |
| 8264601754 | Salt Marsh | A marsh containing non-woody emergent vegetation, found along the coast in temperate climates. They are important ecologically because they are very productive places for plants and algae. Also, the abundant plant life helps filter contaminants out of the water. They also provide an important habitat for spawning fish and shellfish. | 93 | |
| 8264643985 | Mangrove Swamp | A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water. They often grow along estuaries or shallow coast lines that lack inputs of fresh water. They are important because their trees help protect coasts from erosion and storm damage. | 94 | |
| 8264679496 | Intertidal Zone | The narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide. Although its environment conditions are quite stable during a high tide, they become much harsher during the low tide. During the low tide, organisms are exposed to direct sunlight, high temperatures and desiccation. | 95 | |
| 8264710959 | Coral Reef | The most diverse marine biome on Earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline. | 96 | |
| 8264720322 | Coral Bleaching | A phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white and eventually die as well. | 97 | |
| 8264733373 | Open Ocean | Deep ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom. | 98 | |
| 8264744012 | Photic Zone | The upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis. | 99 | |
| 8264753475 | Aphotic Zone | The deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis. | 100 | |
| 8264765652 | Chemosynthesis | A process used by some bacteria in the ocean to generate energy with methane and hydrogen sulfide. | 101 | |
| 8327778927 | Population | The individuals that belong to the same species and live in a given area at a particular time. | 102 | |
| 8327781401 | Community | All of the populations of organisms within a given area. | 103 | |
| 8327783609 | Five Levels of Complexity | Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere | 104 | |
| 8327786992 | Population Ecology | The study of factors that cause populations to increase or decrease. | 105 | |
| 8327789841 | Population Size (N) | The total number of individuals within a defined area at a given time. | 106 | |
| 8327792858 | Population Density | The number of individuals per unit area at a given time. | 107 | |
| 8327795731 | Population Distribution | A description of how individuals are distributed with respect to one another. | 108 | |
| 8327797269 | Random Population Distribution | When there is no pattern to the locations of species. Ex: Trees in a forest. | 109 | |
| 8327800025 | Uniform Population Distribution | When individuals are evenly spaced. Common among territorial animals and toxic plants that prevent other plants of the same species from growing near them. | 110 | |
| 8327805102 | Clumped Population Distribution | Population distribution that is often observed when living in large groups provides enhanced feeding opportunities or protection from predators. | 111 | |
| 8327809474 | Sex Ratio | The ratio of males to females in a population. | 112 | |
| 8327815291 | Age Structure | A description of how many individuals fit into particular age categories in a population. | 113 | |
| 8327818614 | Limiting Resource | A resource that a population cannot live without and that occurs in quantities lower than the population would require to increase in size. | 114 | |
| 8327826880 | Density-Dependent Factor | A factor that influences an individual's probability of survival and reproduction in a manner that depends on the size of the population. | 115 | |
| 8327830044 | Carrying Capacity (K) | The limit of how many individuals in a population the environment can sustain. | 116 | |
| 8327833090 | Density-Independent Factor | A factor that has the same effect on an individual's probability of survival and the amount of reproduction at any population size. | 117 | |
| 8327837193 | Population Growth Models | Mathematical equations that can be used to predict population size at any moment in time. | 118 | |
| 8327839913 | Population Growth Rate | The number of offspring an individual can produce in a given time period, minus the deaths of the individual or its offspring during the same period. | 119 | |
| 8327845465 | Intrinsic Growth Rate (r) | The maximum potential for growth of a population under ideal conditions with unlimited resources. | 120 | |
| 8327850698 | Exponential Growth Model | Nt=Noe^rt. A growth model that estimates a populations future size (Nt) after a period of time (t), based on the intrinsic growth rate (r) and the number of reproducing individuals currently in the population (No). | 121 | |
| 8327856910 | J-Shaped Curve | The curve of the exponential growth model when graphed. | 122 | |
| 8327861639 | Logistic Growth Model | A growth model that describes a population whose growth is initially exponential, but slows as the population approaches the carrying capacity of the environment. | 123 | |
| 8327867090 | S-Shaped Curve | The shape of the logistic growth model when graphed. | 124 | |
| 8327869236 | Overshoot | When a population becomes larger than the environment's carrying capacity. | 125 | |
| 8327872299 | Die-off | A rapid decline in a population due to death. | 126 | |
| 8327877656 | Population Oscilation | When the size of a population goes up and down continuously. | 127 | |
| 8327881155 | K-Selected Species | A species with a low intrinsic growth rate that causes the population to increase slowly until it reaches carrying capacity. Their population fluctuations are small. They are typically large organisms that reach reproductive maturity relatively late, produce a few, large offspring, and provide substantial parental care. This slow growth rate poses a challenge because an endangered species cannot respond quickly. | 128 | |
| 8327889430 | r-Selected Species | A species that has a high intrinsic growth rate, which often leads to population overshoots and die-offs. They tend to be small organisms that reach reproductive maturity relatively early, reproduce frequently, reproduce many small offspring and provide little to no parental care. | 129 | |
| 8327905394 | Survivorship Curve | A graph that represents the distinct patterns of species survival as a function of age. | 130 | |
| 8327908241 | Type I Survivorship Curve | A pattern of survival over time in which there is high survival throughout most of the lifespan, but then individuals start to die in large numbers as they approach old age. | 131 | |
| 8327911175 | Type II Survivorship Curve | A pattern of survival over time in which there is a relatively constant decline in survivorship throughout most of the lifespan. | 132 | |
| 8327916099 | Type III Survivorship Curve | A pattern of survival over time in which there is low survivorship early in life with few individuals reaching adulthood. | 133 | |
| 8327924105 | Habitat Corridors | Strips of natural habitat that connect populations. | 134 | |
| 8327926745 | Metapopulation | A group of spatially distinct populations that are connected by occasional movements of individuals between them. | 135 | |
| 8327928223 | Interbreeding Depression | When individuals with similar genotypes, typically relatives, breed with each other and produce offspring that have an impaired ability to survive and reproduce. | 136 | |
| 8361538030 | Photosynthesis | The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Formula: Solar Energy + 6H2O + 6CO2 ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2 | 137 | |
| 8361586328 | Cellular Respiration | The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds. | 138 | |
| 8361609795 | Aerobic Respiration | The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide and water. | 139 | |
| 8361650937 | Anaerobic Respiration | The process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen. | 140 | |
| 8361666573 | Consumer | An organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms. Also known as Heterotroph. | 141 | |
| 8361716303 | Herbivore | A consumer that eats producers. Also known as a Primary Consumer. | 142 | |
| 8361736711 | Carnivore | A consumer that eats other consumers. | 143 | |
| 8361742613 | Secondary Consumer | A carnivore that eats primary consumers. | 144 | |
| 8361760385 | Tertiary Consumer | A carnivore that eats secondary consumer. | 145 | |
| 8361780469 | Trophic Levels | The successive levels of organisms consuming one another. | 146 | |
| 8361785776 | Food Chain | The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers. | 147 | |
| 8361837841 | Food Web | A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels. | 148 | |
| 8361856965 | Scavenger | An organism that consumes dead animals. | 149 | |
| 8361870433 | Detritivore | An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles. Ex: Beetles | 150 | |
| 8361894870 | Decomposers | Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem. | 151 | |
| 8361963496 | Gross Primary Product (GPP) | The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time. | 152 | |
| 8362006170 | Net Primary Product (NPP) | The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire. | 153 | |
| 8362029577 | Biomass | The total mass of all living matter in a specific area. | 154 | |
| 8362036618 | Standing Crop | The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time. | 155 | |
| 8362059680 | Ecological Efficiency | The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another. | 156 | |
| 8362081778 | Trophic Pyramid | A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels. | 157 | |
| 8362109170 | Biogeochemical Cycle | The movements of matter within and between ecosystems. | 158 | |
| 8362119872 | Hydrologic Cycle | The movement of water through the biosphere. | 159 | |
| 8362124909 | Transpiration | The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis. | 160 | |
| 8362158797 | Evapotranspiration | The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration. | 161 | |
| 8362186826 | Runoff | Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers. | 162 | |
| 8362193515 | Carbon Cycle | The movement of carbon around the biosphere. |  | 163 |
| 8362289406 | Macronutrient | One of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. | 164 | |
| 8362310063 | Limiting Nutrient | A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients. | 165 | |
| 8362327215 | Nitrogen Cycle | The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere. |  | 166 |
| 8362352161 | Nitrogen Fixation | A process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia. | 167 | |
| 8362369371 | Nitrification | The conversion of ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate. | 168 | |
| 8362378626 | Assimilation | The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues. | 169 | |
| 8362385861 | Mineralization | The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds. | 170 | |
| 8362440478 | Ammonification | The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium. | 171 | |
| 8362481068 | Denitrification | The conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and eventually nitrogen gas which is emitted into the atmosphere. | 172 | |
| 8362546412 | Leaching | The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater. | 173 | |
| 8362562008 | Phosphorous Cycle | The movement of phosphorous around the biosphere. | 174 | |
| 8362583942 | Algal Bloom | A rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway. | 175 | |
| 8362597123 | Hypoxic | Low in oxygen. | 176 | |
| 8362601515 | Sulfur Cycle | The movement of sulfur around the biosphere. | 177 | |
| 8362629982 | Disturbance | An event, caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition. | 178 | |
| 8362648694 | Watershed | All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, land or wetland. | 179 | |
| 8362683182 | Resistance | A measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem. | 180 | |
| 8362698815 | Resilience | The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance. | 181 | |
| 8362723966 | Restoration Ecology | The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems. | 182 | |
| 8362753484 | Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis | The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels. | 183 |
