Ecology Flashcards

1813651563	Biome	A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities.	0
1813651564	Savanna	A tropical / subtropical grassland biome with scattered individual trees, large herbivores, and three distinct seasons based primarily on rainfall, maintained by occasional fires and drought.	1
1813651565	Desert	A region of little vegetation, either cold or hot, that receives ten inches or less of precipitation each year, long periods without rain, deserts have extreme temperatures.	2
1813651566	Tundra	Biome that surrounds the north and south poles; treeless landscape with short, cool summers, and long, very cold winters with short periods of winter sunlight, beneath the topsoil is a layer of permafrost.	3
1813651567	Temperate Deciduous Forest	Characterized by warm summers, cool winters, has all four seasons, year-round precipitation and fertile soil.	4
1813651568	Conifer	Cone-bearing trees (ie: pine, or fir tree) of middle and high latitudes that are mostly evergreen and that have needle-shaped or scale like leaves. Conifers are able to withstand the long, cold winter season.	5
1813651569	Coniferous Forest	Forest populated by cone-bearing evergreen trees; mostly found in the colder northern latitudes.	6
1813654489	Flora	All the plant life in a particular region, or period.	7
1813835407	Fauna	All of the animal life in a particular region, or period.	8
1813835408	Steppe	A climate with partly dry grassland often found on the edges of a desert. It receives less than 20 inches of rain per year.	9
1813835409	Pampas	Flat grassland regions in the southern part of South America: A region similar to the Great Plains in the United States.	10
1813835410	Prarie	A large area of flat land, or rolling hills covered by grasses and wild flowers but few trees.	11
1813835411	Temperate	Climate zones with moderate (warm) temperatures that are located between the tropics and the polar zones.	12
1813835412	Permafrost	A layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra	13
1813835413	Alpine Tundra	biome at high mountain altitudes, which has vegetation & climate similar to those of the Arctic tundra (though no permafrost)	14
1813835414	Marine	Biome that includes open ocean, seashore, and it covers 75% of the planet. There is a very high salinity level, and a wide variety of animals	15
1813835415	Plankton	A general term for the tiny, free-floating or weakly swimming organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments.	16
1813835416	Estuary	An area where fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from an ocean; are productive ecosystems because they constantly recieve fresh nutrients from the river and the ocean.	17
1813835417	Forest	Large tree and plant filled area that covers 30% of Earth's land surface. Provide habitats, maintain soil, air, and water quality, acts as a carbon sink in biogeochemical cycle.	18
1813835418	Intertidal Zone	Part of the shoreline that is under water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide.	19
1813835419	Neritic Zone	Area of ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf.	20
1813835420	Benthic Zone	At the bottom of all aquatic biomes, deep or shallow. Made up of sand and organic and inorganic sediments.	21
1813835421	Oceanic Zone	All the water the covers the sea floor except for the continental shelf -water temperature is colder and pressure is greater -strange looking animals live in the dark deeper areas. (Ex. Giant Squid).	22
1813835422	Coral Reef	A structure of calcite skeletons built up by coral animals in warm, shallow ocean water.	23
1813835424	Open Water Zone	The zone of a lake or pond that extends from the littoral zone out across the top of the water, and that is only as deep as light can reach through the water.	24
1813835425	Deep Water Zone	The zone of a lake or pond below the open water zone where no light reaches.	25
1813835426	Wetland	An ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year.	26
1813835427	Marsh	A type of wetland featuring grasses, reeds and other plants in shallow water.	27
1813835428	Tributary	A stream or river that flows into a larger river.	28
1813835429	Freshwater	Aquatic ecosytem that does not contain any saltwater, can be rivers, lakes, streams,ponds, and wetlands.	29
1816896349	Littoral Zone	Shallow water near shore that receives enough sunlight to support photosynthesis. May be marine or freshwater; often flowering plants are present.	30
1866499551	Brackish Water	More salty than fresh water, and less salty than marine saltwater. It is found in estuaries where freshwater and saltwater mix.	31
2826384966	Biosphere	Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.	32
2826389292	Organism	Individual living thing.	33
2826394407	Species	A group of organisms that are closely related, who can mate to produce fertile offspring. All of the cats are feline, but each cat is a different species.	34
2826414247	Biodiversity	The number, and variety of living organisms in a given area, during a specific period of time.	35
2826481213	Ecosystem	A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.	36
2826483337	Habitat	Place where an organism lives.	37
2826486753	Niche	An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.	38
2826491414	Abiotic	All of the non-living parts of an ecosystem.	39
2826494640	Biotic	All of the living parts of an ecosystem.	40
2826498070	Biomass	Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.	41
2826520334	Herbivore	A consumer that eats only plants.	42
2826523311	Carnivore	An animal that eats other animals A consumer that eats only animals.	43
2826746116	Omnivore	A consumer that eats both plants and animals.	44
2827204867	Producer	An organism that can make its own food.	45
2827208519	Consumer	An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.	46
2827211015	Autotroph	An organism that makes its own food.	47
2827212389	Heterotroph	An organism that cannot make its own food, it gets food by consuming other living things, or their by-products.	48
2827221759	Taiga	A biome in which the winters are cold, but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw, it contains mostly coniferous forests.	49
2827232046	Prey	An organism that is hunted, killed and eaten by another organism.	50
2827239971	Predator	An animal that hunts, and kills other animals for food.	51
2836335337	Population	A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.	52
2836342352	Community	A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.	53
3017804250	Food Web	A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem; it contains multiple overlapping food chains.	54
3017808623	Food Chain	A diagram that represents how energy in food flows from one organism to the next in an ecosystem.	55
3032357054	Energy Pyramid	A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem.	56
3032364500	Limiting Factor	A biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the number, distribution, or reproduction of a population within a community.	57
3032566774	Carrying Capacity	Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support.	58
3032570504	Predation	An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism to gain energy.	59
3032580765	Competition	Ecological relationship in which organisms compete for available resources. There are 2 types: between organisms within a population, and between different populations.	60
3032637055	Symbiosis	A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.	61
3032646260	Mutualism	A relationship between two species in which both species benefit.	62
3032654915	Parasitism	A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed.	63
3032663260	Commensalism	A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.	64
3032700593	Co-evolution	Relationship in which 2 organisms change or adapt together over time.	65
3032712740	Cooperation	Relationship in which behavior by two or more individuals leads to mutual benefit.	66
3043481046	Decomposition	The breaking down of matter into simpler molecules. Typically performed by bacteria.	67
3043515943	Carbon Cycle	The movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back.	68
3043534129	Combustion	Burning of fossil fuels and wood, releasing energy and carbon dioxide.	69
3043570403	Nitrogen Cycle	The movement of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere.	70
3043629157	Water Cycle	The movement of water from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back.	71
3043862963	Photosynthesis	Process used by plants to capture and convert the sun's energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose (sugar).	72
3043878716	Transpiration	The evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant into the atmosphere.	73
3043889047	Succession	The sequence of biotic changes that regenerate a damaged community or create a community in a previously uninhabited area.	74
3043904667	Primary Succession	Biotic growth on newly exposed areas (bare,rocky) that were not previously occupied by soil and vegetation.	75
3043909505	Secondary Succession	A type of ecological succession that occurs where a disturbance has destroyed an existing biological community but left the soil intact.	76
3043919508	Pioneer Species	Creates soil in primary succession (lichen/moss) first species to appear on bare or rocky area.	77
3043944042	Nitrogen Fixation	Process in which bacteria in the soil change nitrogen gas into materials that plants can use during photosynthesis.	78
3043960003	Evaporation	A physical change from a liquid to a gas at a temperature that is lower than the boiling point.	79
3043960004	Condensation	A physical change from a gas to a liquid at cooler temperatures (the opposite of evaporation).	80
3043961444	Precipitation	Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.	81
3043961445	Nitrification	The process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil.	82
3043963626	Denitrification	Denitrifying bacteria converts nitrates into gaseous nitrogen that re-enters the atmosphere.	83
3044075276	Respiration	The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between living cells and their environment; this includes breathing and cellular respiration.	84
3044100431	Aquifer	An underground area of sediment and rocks that is filled with groundwater.	85
3044102957	Pollution	An unwanted change in the environment caused by the introduction of harmful materials, or the production of harmful conditions (chemical, biological, heat, cold, sound).	86
3045432169	Renewable Resource	A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed.	87
3045434921	Non-Renewable Resources	A resource that cannot be reused or replaced as quickly as it is used (ex. gems, iron, copper, fossil fuels).	88
3045437916	Overpopulation	Term used when the number of people in an area exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living.	89
3045439480	Conservation	The preservation, wise use, and protection of natural resources.	90
3045441946	Recycle	The process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap; the process of reusing, or remanufacturing some items.	91
3054631168	Percolation	The downward movement of water through soil and rock due to gravity.	92
3054631169	Infilration	Process of water seepage into the ground becoming ground water.	93
3054636518	Runoff	Part of the water cycle where an excess of water runs down and does not sink into the soil and eventually makes it to the rivers, lakes, and oceans.	94
3267132372	Biodegradable	Capable of being broken down by bacteria and other decomposers.	95
3272938190	Reduce	To cut down / back on the consumption of; or to use less of a resource.	96
3272938887	Reuse	Involves using a resource over and over in the same form.	97
3274812180	Deciduous	Falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth; not permanent; transitory.	98
3274877276	Polar	A cold air mass that forms north of 50° north latitude or south of 50° south latitude and has high air pressure	99
3274877277	Frigid	Intensely cold temperatures; cold in manner; Ex. frigid zone	100
3274878478	Tropical	Biome near the equator with warm temperatures, wet weather, and lush plant growth.	101
3274878479	Climate	Seasonal pattern of weather conditions in a large geographic area over many years; it does not change rapidly.	102
3274881569	Climate Zone	A region in which yearly patterns of temperature, rainfall, and the amount of sunlight are similar throughout.	103
3306675658	Grassland	A biome found in the dry temperate interiors of continents. This biome is characterized by rich soil, moderate rainfall, a hot, dry climate, thick grasses, and herds of grazing animals.	104
3306692767	Canopy	Dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rainforest trees.	105
3306692863	Tropical Rain Forest	Biome characterized by hot temperatures, large amounts of rainfall, and high biodiversity,that grows near the equator; it receives large amounts of rain, and has dense growths of tall, leafy trees; the weather is warm and wet year-round; few plants live on the dark forest floor.	106
3308847341	Swamp	A type of freshwater wetland that consists of spongy, muddy land full of water.	107
3309201850	Holdfasts	Root like structures that some organisms have to help them hold on to rocks.	108
3309209585	Sargasso Sea	An area in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in which green seaweed grows thick.	109
3309220258	Treeline	The limit of the area that trees can grow in on Earth. Above it, it's too cold for trees to grow.	110