Ecology 2nd set
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Created by:
judeazion8 on May 27, 2010
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57 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Water Cycle | Movement of water between atmosphere and Earth by way of precipitation and evaporation |
| Infiltration | Downward movement of water into the soil |
| Surface Runoff | When excess water from rainfall or snow-melt flows over the land |
| Groundwater | Water that occurs below the Earth's surface in pore spaces within bedrock and soil |
| Interception | The capture of rainwater by vegetation, from which the water evaporates and does not reach the ground |
| Transpiration | Loss water vapor from a plant to the outside atmosphere |
| Precipitation | Any product of condensed water vapor (rain,snow, hail) that is deposited on the Earth's surface. |
| Evapotranspiration | Sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's surface into the atmosphere |
| Hydrogen Bonding | bond occurring between an atom of oxygen or nitrogen and a hydrogen atom joined to oxygen or nitrogen on another molecule;responsible for the properties of water |
| Specific Heat | Amount of energy that must be added or removed to raise or lower the temperature of a substance by a specific amount |
| Cohesion | The ability of water molecules to stick firmly to each other because of hydrogen bonding |
| Surface Tension | Elastic film across the surface of a liquid caused by the attractive forces between molecules at the surface of the liquid |
| Viscosity | Property of a fluid that resists the force that causes its to flow |
| Buoyancy | The power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it |
| Thermocline | Layer in a thermally stratified body of water in which the temperature changes rapidly relative to the remainder of the body |
| Epilimnion | Warm, oxygen-rich upper layer of water in a lake or other body of water, usually seasonal |
| Hypolimnion | Cold, oxygen-poor zone of a lake, below the thermocline |
| Solution | Liquid that is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances |
| Solvent | Dissolving agent of a solution |
| Solute | Substance that is dissolved in a solution |
| Aqueous Solution | Solution in which water is the solvent |
| Ions | Atoms electronically charged as a result of loss or gain of electrons |
| Practical Salinity Units (PSU) | The total amount of dissolved material in seawater, expressed as parts per thousand |
| Diffusion | Spontaneous movement of particles of gases or liquids from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration |
| Acidity | The level of acid in a substance |
| Alkaline | Having a pH greater than 7 |
| Upwelling | Water current produced by wind that brings nutrient-rich colder water to the surface |
| Intertidal Zone | Area lying between the areas of high and low tide |
| Tidal Overmixing | The mixing of freshwater and seawater in a river when a tidal wedge of seawater moves upstream faster than freshwater moves seaward |
| Water Balance | The balance of water between organisms and their surrounding environment |
| Leaf Area Index (LAI) | The total leaf area of a plant exposed to incoming light energy relative to the ground surface area beneath the plant |
| Regolith | Layer of loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock |
| Mechanical Weathering | Processes such as freezing, thawing and pressure that break down rocks and minerals without involving chemical reactions |
| Chemical weathering | Chemical processes such as oxidation, hydrolysis, and reduction that break down and reform rocks and minerals on the molecular level |
| Parent Material | The underlying material on which soil horizons form |
| Leaching | Dissolving and washing of nutrients out of soil, litter, and organic matter |
| Soil Profile | Distinctive layering of horizons in the soil |
| Horizons | Major zone or layer of soil, with its own particular structure and characteristics |
| O Horizon | Organic layer: Decomposed or partially decomposed plant material |
| A Horizon | Topsoil: Largely mineral soil developed from parent material |
| E Horizon | Eluviation: The layer of maximum leaching |
| B Horizon | Subsoil: Accumulation of mineral particles such as clays and salts |
| C Horizon | Unconsolidated: Material derived from original parent material |
| Saturated | Air that contains the maximum amount of water vapor it can hold at a given temperature and pressure |
| Field Capacity | Amount of water held by soil against the force of gravity |
| Capillary Water | Portion of water held in the soil by forces between soil particles |
| Wilting Point | Moisture content of soil at which plants wilt and fail to recover turgidity when placed in dark, humid atmosphere |
| Available Water Capacity (AWC) | Supply of water available to plants in a well-drained soil |
| Anions | Ions carrying a negative charge |
| Ion Exchange Capacity | Total Number of charged sites on soil particles within a volume of soil |
| Colloids | Negatively charged particles in the soil that provide surfaces with high cation exchange capacity |
| Cation Exchange Capacity | The ability of a soil particle to absorb positively charged ions |
| Laterization | Process of soil formation in hot, humid climates, characterized by intense oxidation |
| Calcification | Process of soil formation characterized by accumulation of calcium in lower soil horizons |
| Salinization | Process of soil formation characterized by accumulation of soluble salts in soil |
| Podzolizatiion | Process of soil formation characterized by accumulation of iron, aluminum, silica, and clay in lower horizons |
| Gleization | Process in waterlogged soils in which iron is reduced to a blue-grey ferrous compound |
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