Soph. Bio. Ch 3 and 5- Ecology
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Created by:
meganbrejcha on August 31, 2011
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Sophomore biology- Ecology and Population growth
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Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Ecology | the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment or surroundings (ecosystems). |
| Biosphere | anywhere on Earth where life exists |
| Biome | a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities |
| Ecosystem | a collection of the organisms that life in a particular place and their nonliving environment |
| Community | all of the different populations that live together in a defined area |
| Population | group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area |
| Species | a group of organisms that are similar and can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| Organism | one single member of a species |
| Autotrophs | organisms that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food; also known as producers. |
| Photosynthesis | process used by most autotrophs; creates food and oxygen from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. |
| Chemosynthesis | process used by some autotrophs; creates food from carbon dioxide and inorganic molecules without light. |
| Heterotrophs | organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply; also known as consumers |
| Herbivores | eat only plants |
| Carnivores | eat only animals |
| Omnivores | eat both plants and animals |
| Detritivores | feed on dead plants and animals (detritus) |
| Decomposers | break down organic matter |
| Food chain | a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
| Food web | a diagram that links all the food chains in an ecosystem together to form a more realistic view of energy flow |
| Trophic level | each step in a food chain or food web |
| Ecological pyramid | a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or web. Three main types of pyramids are: |
| Energy pyramid | shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level. |
| Biomass pyramid | shows the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
| Pyramid of numbers | shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level |
| Biogeochemical cycles | how elements, chemical compounds, and water are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another |
| Evaporation | when liquid water absorbs energy and becomes a gas |
| Precipitation | when water falls from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail |
| Transpiration | when water is given off through the stomata of plants' leaves as a byproduct of photosynthesis |
| Condensation | when gaseous water vapor loses energy and becomes a liquid |
| Runoff | when precipitation travels along the surface of the Earth until it reaches a body of water |
| Primary productivity | the rate at which organic matter is created by producers |
| Limiting nutrient | a single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem |
| Algal bloom | the sudden growth of algae in a body of water |
| Geographic distribution | the area inhabited by a population |
| Population density | the number of individuals per unit area |
| Growth rate | determined by the number of births, the number of deaths, and the number of individuals that enter or leave the population |
| Immigration | the movement of individuals into an area |
| Emigration | the movement of individuals out of an area |
| Exponential growth | the type of growth seen when a population grows at a constant rate; represented by a "J"-shaped curve |
| Logistic growth | when a population's growth slows or stops following a period of exponential growth; represented by an "S"-shaped curve |
| Carrying capacity | the largest number of individuals that a given environment can support |
| Limiting factor | a factor that causes population growth to decrease; ex. climate, predators, food availability, or humans. |
| Density-dependent limiting factor | limiting factors that effect a population only when the population density reaches a certain level and operate most strongly when a population is large. |
| Competition | occurs when two organisms attempt to use the same resource; can occur between organisms or between species |
| Predator-pray relationship | when one species eats another for food; one of the best forms of natural population control. |
| Density-independent limiting factors | limiting factors that affect all populations in similar ways, regardless of the population size. |
| Demography | the study of human populations |
| Demographic transition | the change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates |
| Age-structure diagrams | models that help demographers predict future growth of populations by showing the number of individuals in each age category |
| Modeling | The process of using mathematical formulas to predict future events |
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