| A | B |
|---|
| ecology | study of the interactions of the living and nonliving systems |
| greenhouse effect | light passes through atmosphere but radiant energy is absorbed |
| biosphere | volume of earth and atmosphere that supports life |
| ecosystem | all organisms and their nonliving environment found in a particular place |
| community | all the interacting populations of a variety of species in an area |
| population | members of a species in a place where they have mating access |
| biotic factors | all the living factors that affect an organism |
| abiotic factors | all the nonliving factors that affecct an organism |
| niche | the role a species plays in the environment |
| fundamental niche | the full range of niche conditions and resources |
| realized niche | actual conditions and resources used by a species |
| generalists | species that have very broad niches |
| specialists | species that have vary specific niches |
| population density | number of individuals in a given area or volume |
| age structure | the distribution of different ages in a population |
| growth rate | birthrate + immigration minus deathrate minus emigration |
| exponential growth | population growth that results in a J-shaped curve |
| logistic growth | population growth that results in a S-shaped curve |
| limiting factor | a factor that restrains a population's growth |
| carrying capacity | number of individuals an environment can support long-term |
| symbioses | close interactions between two different species |
| predation | a predator species kills and eats all or part of a prey species |
| parasitism | symbiotic relationship in which a parasite benefits while the host is harmed |
| competition | occurs when two species fundamental niches overlap |
| resource partitioning | a way to minimize competition for the same fundamental niche |
| mutualism | cooperation between two species in which they both benefit |
| commensalism | one species benefits and the other one is NOT harmed |
| biodiversity | the number of different species living in an area |
| primary succession | the progression of life in an area that previously did not support life (bare rock) |
| secondary succession | progression of life in an area ecologically disturbed |
| pioneer species | first organisms such as lichens to inhabit a barren area |
| producers | autotrophic organisms that use photosynthesis to make food |
| consumers | heterotrophic organisms that consume other organisms |
| carnivores | consumers that eat other animals |
| herbivores | consumers that eat plants |
| omnivores | consumers that eat both plants and animals |
| decomposers | break down organic molecules into simpler compounds |
| trophic level | an organism's position in a sequence of energy transfers |
| food chain | a single pathway of feeding relationships in an ecosystem |
| food web | a diagram of all the feeding relationships in an ecosystem |
| biogeochemical cycle | movement of materials into biotic systems and back to abiotic systems |
| immigration | movement of individuals into a population |
| emigration | movement of individuals out of a population |
| carbon cycle | carbon moving into plants during photosynthesis & out of living things during respiration |
| nitrogen cycle | movement of abiotic nitrogen into organisms' biotic macromolecules and back after decomposition |
| energy pyramid | shows how only 10% of energy is transfered to the next trophic level |
