Ecology Flashcards

9768361111	Biome	A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities.	0
9768361112	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
9768361113	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
9768361114	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
9768361115	Temperate Deciduous Forest	Characterized by warm summers, cool winters, has all four seasons, year-round precipitation and fertile soil.	4
9768361116	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
9768361117	Coniferous Forest	Forest populated by cone-bearing evergreen trees; mostly found in the colder northern latitudes.	6
9768361118	Flora	All the plant life in a particular region, or period.	7
9768361119	Fauna	All of the animal life in a particular region, or period.	8
9768361122	Prarie	A large area of flat land, or rolling hills covered by grasses and wild flowers but few trees.	9
9768361123	Temperate	Climate zones with moderate (warm) temperatures that are located between the tropics and the polar zones.	10
9768361124	Permafrost	A layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra	11
9768361125	Alpine Tundra	biome at high mountain altitudes, which has vegetation & climate similar to those of the Arctic tundra (though no permafrost)	12
9768361126	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	13
9768361127	Plankton	A general term for the tiny, free-floating or weakly swimming organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments.	14
9768361128	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.	15
9768361129	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.	16
9768361130	Intertidal Zone	Part of the shoreline that is under water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide.	17
9768361131	Neritic Zone	Area of ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf.	18
9768361132	Benthic Zone	At the bottom of all aquatic biomes, deep or shallow. Made up of sand and organic and inorganic sediments.	19
9768361133	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).	20
9768361134	Coral Reef	A structure of calcite skeletons built up by coral animals in warm, shallow ocean water.	21
9768361135	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.	22
9768361136	Deep Water Zone	The zone of a lake or pond below the open water zone where no light reaches.	23
9768361137	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.	24
9768361138	Marsh	A type of wetland featuring grasses, reeds and other plants in shallow water.	25
9768361139	Tributary	A stream or river that flows into a larger river.	26
9768361140	Freshwater	Aquatic ecosytem that does not contain any saltwater, can be rivers, lakes, streams,ponds, and wetlands.	27
9768361141	Littoral Zone	Shallow water near shore that receives enough sunlight to support photosynthesis. May be marine or freshwater; often flowering plants are present.	28
9768361142	Brackish Water	More salty than fresh water, and less salty than marine saltwater. It is found in estuaries where freshwater and saltwater mix.	29
9768361144	Biosphere	Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.	30
9768361145	Organism	Individual living thing.	31
9768361146	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.	32
9768361147	Biodiversity	The number, and variety of living organisms in a given area, during a specific period of time.	33
9768361148	Ecosystem	A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.	34
9768361149	Habitat	Place where an organism lives.	35
9768361150	Niche	An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.	36
9768361151	Abiotic	All of the non-living parts of an ecosystem.	37
9768361152	Biotic	All of the living parts of an ecosystem.	38
9768361153	Biomass	Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.	39
9768361154	Herbivore	A consumer that eats only plants.	40
9768361155	Carnivore	An animal that eats other animals A consumer that eats only animals.	41
9768361156	Omnivore	A consumer that eats both plants and animals.	42
9768361157	Producer	An organism that can make its own food.	43
9768361158	Consumer	An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.	44
9768361159	Autotroph	An organism that makes its own food.	45
9768361160	Heterotroph	An organism that cannot make its own food, it gets food by consuming other living things, or their by-products.	46
9768361161	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.	47
9768361162	Prey	An organism that is hunted, killed and eaten by another organism.	48
9768361163	Predator	An animal that hunts, and kills other animals for food.	49
9768361164	Population	A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.	50
9768361165	Community	A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.	51
9768361166	Food Web	A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem; it contains multiple overlapping food chains.	52
9768361167	Food Chain	A diagram that represents how energy in food flows from one organism to the next in an ecosystem.	53
9768361168	Energy Pyramid	A diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem.	54
9768361169	Limiting Factor	A biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the number, distribution, or reproduction of a population within a community.	55
9768361170	Carrying Capacity	Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support.	56
9768361171	Predation	An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism to gain energy.	57
9768361172	Competition	Ecological relationship in which organisms compete for available resources. There are 2 types: between organisms within a population, and between different populations.	58
9768361173	Symbiosis	A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.	59
9768361174	Mutualism	A relationship between two species in which both species benefit.	60
9768361175	Parasitism	A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed.	61
9768361176	Commensalism	A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.	62
9768361177	Co-evolution	Relationship in which 2 organisms change or adapt together over time.	63
9768361178	Cooperation	Relationship in which behavior by two or more individuals leads to mutual benefit.	64
9768361179	Decomposition	The breaking down of matter into simpler molecules. Typically performed by bacteria.	65
9768361180	Carbon Cycle	The movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back.	66
9768361181	Combustion	Burning of fossil fuels and wood, releasing energy and carbon dioxide.	67
9768361182	Nitrogen Cycle	The movement of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere.	68
9768361183	Water Cycle	The movement of water from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back.	69
9768361184	Photosynthesis	Process used by plants to capture and convert the sun's energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose (sugar).	70
9768361186	Succession	The sequence of biotic changes that regenerate a damaged community or create a community in a previously uninhabited area.	71
9768361187	Primary Succession	Biotic growth on newly exposed areas (bare,rocky) that were not previously occupied by soil and vegetation.	72
9768361188	Secondary Succession	A type of ecological succession that occurs where a disturbance has destroyed an existing biological community but left the soil intact.	73
9768361189	Pioneer Species	Creates soil in primary succession (lichen/moss) first species to appear on bare or rocky area.	74
9768361190	Nitrogen Fixation	Process in which bacteria in the soil change nitrogen gas into materials that plants can use during photosynthesis.	75
9768361191	Evaporation	A physical change from a liquid to a gas at a temperature that is lower than the boiling point.	76
9768361192	Condensation	A physical change from a gas to a liquid at cooler temperatures (the opposite of evaporation).	77
9768361193	Precipitation	Any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface.	78
9768361194	Nitrification	The process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil.	79
9768361195	Denitrification	Denitrifying bacteria converts nitrates into gaseous nitrogen that re-enters the atmosphere.	80
9768361196	Respiration	The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between living cells and their environment; this includes breathing and cellular respiration.	81
9768361197	Aquifer	An underground area of sediment and rocks that is filled with groundwater.	82
9768361198	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).	83
9768361199	Renewable Resource	A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed.	84
9768361200	Non-Renewable Resources	A resource that cannot be reused or replaced as quickly as it is used (ex. gems, iron, copper, fossil fuels).	85
9768361201	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.	86
9768361202	Conservation	The preservation, wise use, and protection of natural resources.	87
9768361203	Recycle	The process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap; the process of reusing, or remanufacturing some items.	88
9768361204	Percolation	The downward movement of water through soil and rock due to gravity.	89
9768361205	Infilration	Process of water seepage into the ground becoming ground water.	90
9768361206	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.	91
9768361207	Biodegradable	Capable of being broken down by bacteria and other decomposers.	92
9768361208	Reduce	To cut down / back on the consumption of; or to use less of a resource.	93
9768361209	Reuse	Involves using a resource over and over in the same form.	94
9768361210	Deciduous	Falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth; not permanent; transitory.	95
9768361211	Polar	A cold air mass that forms north of 50° north latitude or south of 50° south latitude and has high air pressure	96
9768361212	Frigid	Intensely cold temperatures; cold in manner; Ex. frigid zone	97
9768361213	Tropical	Biome near the equator with warm temperatures, wet weather, and lush plant growth.	98
9768361214	Climate	Seasonal pattern of weather conditions in a large geographic area over many years; it does not change rapidly.	99
9768361215	Climate Zone	A region in which yearly patterns of temperature, rainfall, and the amount of sunlight are similar throughout.	100
9768361216	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.	101
9768361217	Canopy	Dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rainforest trees.	102
9768361218	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.	103
9768361219	Swamp	A type of freshwater wetland that consists of spongy, muddy land full of water.	104
9768361222	Treeline	The limit of the area that trees can grow in on Earth. Above it, it's too cold for trees to grow.	105